Eternal Snow
by Pockyjin
Summary: [AU] First she lost her memory. Then she started seeing things that no one else could. After that, someone from a thousand years ago asked her to play matchmaker. Escape? No can do when there's a blizzard trapping her in. InuKag
1. Will You Notice?

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Will you notice?**_

It was a long day… Actually it was always a long day around those parts. For the people living there it felt as if work would never end. Well, there was an exception for a few people, but they were of the royal family so it was to be expected.

Sango sighed as she quickly looked around the palace corridors. They were empty. Quickly sneaking around the corners, she remained alert as she fled down the hallway. Not taking the time to notice the open doors around her. She didn't think anyone would care if they saw her.

Actually, knowing her predicament, they would be trying to help her… Or, at least, she hoped they would.

"Sango!"

Said girl jumped and spun around immediately, darting her eyes around to pin her intruder. There wasn't anyone behind her from what she could tell… But there was someone she was missing due to his shortness. "Shippou," she sighed, relieved that she had only been caught by the royal family's cousin.

"Where are you going?" The young kit's emerald eyes beamed at her as he swayed from side to side, enjoying the swinging of his new kimono-like outfit.

Sango knelt down to accommodate to his size and shushed him quickly, "Have you seen Miroku around?"

"No, why?"

"If you see him later, you never saw me, alright?" She winked and patted Shippou's head as he continued to stare.

He eyed her curiously, but then spoke up again with a sly smirk on his face. "What's in it for me?"

The brown eyed servant girl groaned. She had had a feeling it would come to this. "How about a toy?"

"I don't use them."

"A game?"

"Umm… no."

Another sigh sounded, she was trying to avoid this. "… Food?"

Shippou's interest was peaked. "What kind of food?"

"Pocky." The kit's face automatically grew bright as he nodded his head vigorously to approve. She smiled back at him. "Okay then, I'll make sure to pick up a box on the way back." She paused and thought something over before adding, "And I'll make sure to snag another one if you don't annoy Inuyasha today." She didn't feel like breaking up their fights today.

Shippou's face drooped slightly. It was definitely fun to pick on the hanyou, but would he rather have his fun? Or would he choose the sweet taste of pocky?

Was it really a question? The kit sighed and muttered, "Fine… But don't forget my pocky," he looked a bit disappointed because of the loss, but not too much from the gain.

"Good," Sango nodded at him and he left on his way, forgetting that he'd ever seen her.

Sango smiled at the kit's retreating back and continued on her way down the corridor, just a bit less rushed this time. It was hard to get a break around the palace. Though, it was even harder to get out of the castle grounds.

Sure, waiting on her mistress, the queen, wasn't that hard of a task for her. Queen Izayoi was a very agreeable person and preferred to take care of herself. Still there were some tasks that she couldn't accomplish alone, which was what Sango was around for.

Compared to the jobs of the other servants, her job had to be the easiest of all. One of the hardest jobs around there would've been the job to wait on the second prince, Inuyasha. Which was the exact job that one of her companions had the joy of taking on, she had laughed when he told her.

Even though her job wasn't exactly hard, she couldn't help but want a break. She had been stuck inside the castle walls for a very, very long time. It had been so long that she couldn't even remember when the last time she had stepped outside was.

She hadn't been deprived the right. It was just the fact that other people feared for her if she left the palace, even for a walk. There were no real dangers outside the castle. The idea of there being no walls surrounding the castle grounds wasn't the problem either. It was nature's obstacle that stood in the way.

The snow.

It had been snowing outside for decades without any sign of ceasing. The older servants couldn't even remember when the snow first started to fall. They still couldn't recall a time when it had stopped either. And with every year that passed by, it seemed as if the snow fell harder as the winds grew colder

It had been dubbed the 'Eternal Snow' around the area. And no one could really argue with that name.

She paced down the hall and turned another corner, remembering which turns to take to make it to the exit near the snow covered garden. When she finally saw the white snow falling through the open door, a small joy rose in her mind. A bright smile broke out on her face, she was almost there.

"Where are you going Sango?"

The hazel-eyed girl groaned as she halted in her path, she would've panicked, but she knew that voice all too well to be afraid. She shifted her eyes to the side to lay sights on the man with short, tied, black hair. He flashed an innocent smile as he leaned against a pillar beside the exit.

The exit she was just about to run through.

She sighed inwardly as she folded her arms and stared at her 'friend'. "Nowhere, Miroku," she answered as she tore her gaze off the heavily falling snow. "Why are you here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be with Inuyasha?"

Miroku shrugged, "He's with his mother right now, so I'm off duty." He noticed the disappointed look on her face that she was clearly trying to hide and he turned to the exit and smiled. "It's a bit cold to be going for a walk, isn't it?"

"Who said I was going?" she groaned and turned to walk away, but was halted by a hand on her shoulder.

"I was going to take a walk myself." He started and Sango turned to look at him. "Wanna come with me?" He smiled what he hoped was his most charming smile. Sango just stared at him. She had gotten so used to the routine.

And no matter what happened, how did she always seem to fall for it?

With a shake of her head, she gave in. "Fine," she replied as she made her way towards the door with a tug at the scarf around her neck. "But if you freeze don't' blame me," she warned, taking notice of his clothes. He didn't look prepared to trudge through the freezing snow.

Miroku followed her out the door. "Aww! C'mon, can't we share?"

Sango laughed.

:-:-:

The wind grew harsher as they trudged through the ankle deep snow. Pure iciness bit at their faces as they continued to walk… Or at least tried to walk.

"Sango, I think we should head back inside!" Miroku shouted over the loud howling of the winds.

Sango didn't seem to notice as she continued on her way. Miroku, not being able to leave her alone, followed after her with a quiet sigh. He just couldn't pull himself away from her. He had tried before and he had failed.

The girl didn't take notice of Miroku's predicament and continued on her way. She still wanted to see the outside, going back to the castle now didn't seem like the ideal action to take at the moment. They had made it so far.

She scanned the area and frowned, all she could see was gray. The color of the gray clouds blended too well with the blur of white from the harsh snow. There was no way she could get a view of anything.

She sighed from the let down as she let the frigid wind whip her hair around her face. Her hands were too cold and unwilling to hold it back.

A sudden wind flipped around her and unwrapped the scarf around her neck, sending it flying farther away from the castle, and from her. Her brown eyes grew wide as she noticed the light purple scarf float around in the snowy air. She hadn't noticed it was coming loose.

When her mind registered that it was drifting further away, she quickly lifted her legs up high and dashed after it. Not allowing the garment to leave her sight.

"Sango!" Miroku called when he noticed her sprinting.

"Help me catch my scarf!" she called back as she trailed after it. Miroku followed, figuring the faster they caught her scarf, the sooner they could go in and warm up. He had to admit, his idea for this trip wasn't going as planned. He was hoping that Sango would get too cold for just the scarf and he would have to help her keep warm… Maybe it would work on the way back…

He sighed. That was all just wishful thinking.

Miroku quickly caught up to Sango, who had stopped to pick her scarf off the ground. Apparently, the wind had decided to stop picking on the poor knitting and took pity on the ones chasing after it.

Holding the scarf in her hand, she waited for Miroku to catch up to her. Her face looked concentrated for reasons that were beyond the hopeless boy. "San-"

"Shhh!" she hushed and stared into the distance.

Miroku frowned and followed her gaze, squinting when he saw something up ahead.

There was a figure moving far before them. It looked as if it were stumbling towards them.

"_-Hold me tight--"_

"As you wish Sango."

"Shh!" Sango shot him a warning and whapped his arms away as she strained to listen to the sounds up ahead.

"--_Konna omoi nara-" (If I think like this)_

Sango's eyes widened as she stared into the distance. "Do you hear singing?"

Miroku looked surprised at her but stopped to listen past the falling snow. "It sounds like it." A voice, a soft, soothing voice, drifted through the air as it sung a haunting tune. Haunting, but at the same time beautiful.

"Is that a person up there?"

Miroku's dark eyes squinted as he shielded his eyes from the falling snow. "… I would say so."

"_Dareka wo suki ni naru kim---" (I didn't want to know what it was like)_

The singing suddenly stopped as the couple's eyes grew wider as the figure approached. The person up ahead stopped as well. A dull thud followed after as the figure collapsed against the snow.

The couple froze as they stared at the sight before them. They turned to each other quickly before racing up ahead to check on the fallen person.

Sango dropped to her knees as they approached the unconscious body, ignoring the numbing in her limbs as she gasped from the sight before her. Miroku soon followed suit as they lay eyes on the person before them.

It was a girl and she didn't look a day older than 16. Raven black tresses flowed out behind and down her back. Her skin was pale and cold from the biting snow. Her lips were turning purple and from the looks of it, so were her fingers. Through all of these things, the only thing that they cared about was the fact that she was still breathing.

"Miroku…" she looked up at him and he nodded. She nodded back and turned back to the girl.

Taking her scarf, Sango wrapped the delicate fabric around the girl's neck as Miroku gently picked her off the cold snow. She wasn't that heavy from what he could tell, and she was definitely cold.

They headed back towards the castle walls, ignoring the numbing pain in their limbs as they concentrated on getting the girl to wake up.

After a few shouts and shakes, they were almost to the castle, and the girl woke up with a painful grown as she forcefully pried her eyes upon. They felt like they had been frozen shut. With a raspy voice she called out to them, quietly. "Who are you?"

Sango and Miroku glanced at each other before silently deciding that Sango would answer. "We're here to help you. We're taking you to the castle."

"The castle?" she asked, her voice grating against her throat painfully.

"Yes, we're almost there." Sango warned her as the girl tried to look around but couldn't. Instead she stayed still, finding it painful to move her limbs just yet. They felt like they were about to fall off.

"Alright then," she answered. Her eyes started closing as Miroku walked up the steps to the palace walls. She was falling asleep.

They both noticed and panicked, screaming at the same time, "Don't fall asleep!"

:-:-:

Inuyasha stomped down the hallway as the bitterly cold winds outside howled to their heart's content. He flattened his ears against his skull as they groaned at him, taunting him that the snow would never stop. A low growl erupted deep in his throat. He didn't like the idea of being cooped up in the palace. The mere idea of him staying in one place was completely absurd. But he had been living that way all his life.

At the moment there was nothing to do… Not like there was anything to do anyway.

"Hurry!"

Inuyasha watched as one of the servant girls ran down the hallway with a pile of blankets in her hand. He blinked at her as she raced off and turned the corner… He blinked some more when a couple more servants followed but with some hot water.

What was that about?

He heard small footsteps pad down the corridor behind him. "Inuyasha?" A small voice squeaked.

Golden pools turned down to stare at the small kitsune, he seemed worried for some reason. "What, runt?" He narrowed a pinning gaze at the child.

Shippou didn't take notice to Inuyasha's annoyance. His emerald eyes widened. "Do you think she'll be alright?"

That was an eye opener. Inuyasha frowned down at his cousin. "Who's 'she'?"

"You don't know?" From the deepening of Inuyasha's frown, he figured he didn't. The kit sighed. The news had been going around the palace for a few hours. It didn't surprise him that Inuyasha would be one of the last ones to know.

He stared down at the floor as he strode down the hallway. Inuyasha reluctantly followed. Glancing up at the hanyou he started, "Sango and Miroku found a girl out in the snow…"

"A girl?"

"Yeah, a girl, stu--" Shippou stopped himself and slapped his hands over his mouth before the insult came out. He really wanted that extra box of pocky.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, dangerously. "What were they doing out in the snow?"

Shippou shrugged, not having a clue and not really caring if they were out in the snow or not. As long as they didn't freeze or get sick then it was fine. If they had, then he'd be worried. Right now he was thankful that they had.

As they followed down the carpeted hallways for a little longer, a squeal of delight rang through the air. The youkai gave each other a quick look before racing down the hall to see what the commotion was about.

A group of servants were crowded around the outside of Sango's room, peaking over each other's shoulders to see inside.

"She's awake!" Sango called from inside her room.

Shippou bolted ahead and scampered past ankles to enter the room to see for himself. Inuyasha kept his pace and walked up to the crowd, only to have the crowd part like the Red Sea at the sight of him. He didn't pay any attention to it. He was used to it by now.

He entered the room and leaned against the door frame, looking over the room to see Miroku fixing something at the window, Sango seated beside the bed and Shippou actually sitting on the bed, concern etched into his features. The spoken of girl was resting on the bed, covered with blankets up to her chin. A warm washcloth rested under her dark bangs, her face was flushed from fever. Her eyes still looked sleepy.

Neither one of them took heed of his entrance.

Groggily and slowly, the girl on the bed spoke up as she blinked tiredly. "… Where am I?" she asked. Inuyasha had to twitch his ears to hear. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Kouriya castle," Sango answered as she wrung out another hot towel to replace the one on the girl's forehead.

"Kouriya…?" The girl scrunched up her face, confused.

"Yes, have you heard of it?"

Inuyasha noticed that she looked like she was trying to think about it and was getting a headache in the process. "…No."

"That's okay," Sango consoled her when her head started pounding. She quickly sent one of the servants to fetch a cup of tea before continuing. "Where did you come from?"

"… I'm not sure…"

"Why were you walking in the snow?"

The girl looked troubled by this. "I don't remember…" she was starting to look worried from her answers.

"Do you know your name?"

The girl took a while to think about it before answering. "Yes."

"What is it?"

Inuyasha twitched his ears to hear, her voice was starting to get quieter. He had thought that would've been impossible at this point.

"Kagome."

The hanyou blinked… Kagome… Where had he heard that name before?

:-:-:

_Kouriya- Ice Valley (Kouri-Ice; Ya-valley)_

AN: I hope you guys liked this one! This is just the beginning of a journey where everything is unknown, because even I don't know what's going to happen. I just had the idea for the scene and decided to make it into a story. I'll have to put more thought into the plot to make it better, so bare with me.

If you can, try to guess where I got the title from. It's not that hard to figure out if you've been reading the messages in my profile or at least looked at my xanga. The series it came from, I love it to pieces!

If this chapter was a bit choppy, I apologize. I'm trying to start a new writing style for myself… I just need to find a way to make it work. -sweat-


	2. The Great Chase

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**The Great Chase**_

****

****

… Kagome… Inuyasha could have sworn he'd heard that name before. But where?

Golden eyes narrowed upon the unconscious girl as she slept the seconds away; completely oblivious to the ruckus she was causing around the castle. She was sweating from fever and the many layers of blankets covering her. She didn't look like anything special, nor did she trigger any memories in his mind… So why was her name ringing a bell?

He watched as Sango wrung out another cloth and replaced the one on her forehead. Shippou sat by her, watching her curiously as she struggled to breathe. Miroku was probably the only who noticed his presence since he was smirking at him right now.

'_What the heck is he smirking about?' _he wondered but let it go when Kagome started groaning.

"Is she waking up?" Shippou asked as they waited for any sign or her coming back. The last time she woke up she only lasted about five minutes before falling back asleep from exhaustion. Sango figured she had been traveling for a while to get this close to the castle. No one knew how far the snow stretched out. Some of the youkai curious enough to go see had come back cold and tired, claiming they had traveled for miles but still couldn't make it past the storm. The only ones who had been successful in making it past the snow were Inuyasha's brother and his father as far as they knew. And they were stronger than normal youkai. (Not that he wasn't too.)

So, for a human to travel this far in such inclement weather was like torture.

Kagome's groaning stopped and Shippou plopped back down on his bottom. He was getting excited for the girl to wake up again. When she was awake the last time she had smiled at him and called him cute. He had blushed at the compliment but took pride in it and started adding that he was strong too. She laughed but then fell back asleep instantly.

'_He's probably eager for another…' _Inuyasha thought to himself, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued to scrutinize this Kagome girl with an irritated glower. There was something in the back of his mind that kept bugging him about that name… Kagome… Kagome…

Inuyasha twitched his ears as his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of faint footsteps coming down the hall. He raised his head and sniffed the air to confirm who it was. A smile curled on his lips as he stepped out of the doorway, not daring to disrupt the guest's path.

"Is she alright?" A woman rushed in through the door with concern plastered on her face. Her long, dark hair trailed behind her as her layers of clothing dragged on the floor. This was the queen. His mother.

Sango looked up from her seat next to the bed to examine the concern on Lady Izayoi's face. She hadn't doubted it would be there, not one bit. Her mistress was too caring to leave a matter like this alone. Sango reassured her with a quick smile. "She has a fever but she'll be alright."

Izayoi breathed, relieved and smiled back. It didn't take long for her to set sights upon the girl once more. "You found her in the snow?"

"That's right," Miroku answered this time. "She collapsed just a bit away from us." He gazed at Kagome, pityingly. "To travel this far… I'm surprised she wasn't affected by hypothermia."

The queen nodded her agreement and turned back to the bed. The girl was still sleeping, her breathing was gradually returning to normal from when she first entered. Other than her flushed face, she looked fine now that she was inside.

"There _is_ one problem though…" Sango started, removing the cloth from under raven colored bangs and pressing her hand against her forehead to check her temperature. It was still the same.

Izayoi's expressions looked almost panicked to find out. "What would that be?"

"She can't remember anything," the small kitsune on the bed squeaked. Wide emerald green eyes stared up at his aunt, telling her that he was worried too.

"Nothing?" She looked surprised. "Amnesia?"

Sango nodded, "All except her name, she can't remember a thing."

Izayoi looked hopeful. "And her name…?"

"Kagome…"

Everyone in the room except for Miroku and Kagome turned around to face the hanyou who had spoken. His arms remained crossed as he leaned against the wall behind the door. Sango noticed that he looked irritated. And if she didn't know better she could swear he was glaring… wait… He _was_ glaring… at Kagome.

She raised a questioning eyebrow at that.

"Keh!" he snorted to alert their attention to their staring. Izayoi was the only one who didn't relent. She shot her son a worrying glance, wondering why he seemed so irritated and confused.

Inuyasha only shook his head.

"What do you want us to do with her?" Sango asked.

"We're not sending her anywhere in her current condition," Izayoi remarked as she thought over different ways to go about their predicament. It took a while for her mind to settle on one… But it really wasn't any different then what they were doing now. "I'm sorry Sango, but would you be alright with keeping her here for a little while?" She looked apologetic from adding another person to the already cramped room.

"That's fine," Sango nodded. "I was planning on doing that anyway."

Her mistress nodded thankfully but then noticed Shippou's big, hopeful eyes. "Will she be staying here?"

"We'll have to ask her if she wants to when she's better." Izayoi smiled at the kit's brightening face. Shippou hadn't looked that happy in a long while. The first time was when he had discovered the cook's special candy, Pocky. Other than that, she couldn't remember the last time he looked so excited.

"Keh! The brat just wants to inflate his ego." Inuyasha snorted and then stomped out the door, uninterested in his cousin's small tirade, for once.

There was something nagging at him, and it was getting on his nerves. He glared at the carpeted floors of the hallway as he continued on his way, not really caring where he was going. A frustrated growl sounded from the back of his throat as his mind kept on settling back to the same problem no matter how many times he tried to push it away.

The name Kagome rang a bell in his head the moment she had said it, but he couldn't place having heard it anywhere. Whether it was forgotten or non-existent, he didn't know. The only thing he knew was that he was going to find out why it made him think this way.

He growled low under his breath as he put a hand over his tired eyes. Frustration wasn't going to help his current problems at all. But he couldn't help but let it take over.

:-:-:

Kagome heard herself groan as she turned herself over on the mattress she was sprawled on. Her hands tugged the thick blankets that were on top of her up to her chin as she braced herself from the cold. She lightly noted that her limbs were tingling; probably from the mix of bitter cold and welcoming warmth.

She would have easily relished in the splendid feeling, but something odd tugged at her conscience. Her dark eyebrows knitted together as she slowly cracked her eyes open. The room she was in was dimly lit with a single candle in the corner of the room. Kagome sat up to examine her surroundings more clearly only to realize that there was no one in the room.

The damp cloth that had been forgotten under her bushy bangs dully plopped onto her lap as she sat up. Dark brown eyes blankly stared at the cloth as her hands moved to pick it up, unraveling it from its folds in the process. On the corner was a word embroidered in gold.

"Koriya?" she whispered to herself.

"Mmm."

Kagome jumped at the sudden noise, she had assumed she was alone… Well, it looked like she was alone anyway. Her eyes darted from corner to corner of the room, spotting no one. The only thing she picked up from her search was a tugging on the comforter.

Seconds later, a small child climbed its way up the blanket and onto the bed. Kagome noticed his bright green eyes examine her as a smile crossed over his features. "You're awake!" he cheered as he leapt up to his feet and padded his way across the bed. Kagome could only stare as he approached, vaguely wondering if this person was human judging by size.

"Hi!" The boy greeted, eyes sparkling.

"Hello," Kagome replied reluctantly. She looked around the dark room, unconsciously wringing the cloth in her hands. A few seconds later she noticed her actions and looked back at the golden words sewn into the fabric. _'Koriya… what's that?'_

"Umm…" Kagome started, looking back to the boy while trying to phrase her words.

He was gazing at her with a gentle smile. She smiled back and leaned closer to him. Her answers could wait. "What's your name?"

"Shippou," The boy introduced as he paced closer to her hand. Kagome spotted the big, bushy, pile of hair that was dragging behind him. Was that a tail? "You're Kagome, right?"

"Yes," Kagome's eyes widened in confusion, "How did you know?"

"You woke up a while ago…" Shippou stated, but then stopped when he realized something. "Oh! I forgot!" He quickly ran to the edge of the bed and hopped off only to dash towards the wooden door that was embedded into the stone wall of the room. Kagome watched as he jumped up and pulled it open, letting a stream of light flow into the room.

"Just stay here, I'll be right back!" He called back to Kagome with a smile and a wave and ran off.

Kagome waved back at the empty doorway, despite her knowing nothing would come out of it. Her hand slowly dropped back into her lap as silence took over the room. The smile on her face quickly faded as she quietly tried to recount how she ended up there… But nothing came. Her mind was completely blank… her memories were gone.

The girl gripped her blanket as her brows knitted together, trying her best to concentrate on anything that could she could conjure up in her mind. Any past happenings, names other than hers, facts about her life… She was completely blank.

…It was scary… She was empty…

Kagome tossed off her covers in a flash, looking herself over, making sure that everything she remembered about herself was still true. It still was, but that did little to cure her fears.

She dashed out of bed, but quickly wrapped her blanket around her when the cold hit her full blast. Her mind was on automatic when she ran out of the room. She couldn't even remember the kitsune's order for her to stay put.

She was in a state of panic. Nothing was going to stop her from finding her answers.

The halls were long and narrow… and they were empty. They felt as if they were abandoned, just as Kagome felt. She dashed down the long corridor, turning around the different corners as she passed them. Her eyes were constantly searching for anything that looked familiar, but there was none.

She was alone.

:-:-:

"How long has she been gone?" Miroku asked as he stalked Sango down the hallway.

"Shippou came to get me 20 minutes ago, and when we got to the room she was already gone." Sango replied as she hastened her step, worry overtaking her previously calm expression. Miroku was desperately trying to keep up.

"Why do you think she would run away?" Shippou asked as he followed them, running as fast as his little legs could take him.

Miroku, finally having noticed the poor kitsune, quickly scooped him up and perched him on his shoulder. "The amnesia may have shocked her a bit more than usual. Leaving her alone like that wasn't exactly the best thing to do."

Shippou's eyes grew wide, quickly filling up with water. Sango was the first to notice this. "But it's okay, Shippou. Anyone would have done the same, especially Miroku." She sent a warning glare at him for being so insensitive.

Miroku played along to make the small youkai feel better. "Yes, yes, I definitely would have done the sa- Hey! Inuyasha!"

A red blur had just rounded the corner, ignoring the boy's call as it sped off.

:-:-:

She had been running for what seemed like hours. Long hours that kept stretching on and on and yet she couldn't find a single person along her trek. The castle was empty to her. There was no one inside.

Kagome padded to a slow halt, realization dawning upon her panic. In addition to her empty memories, she had managed to get herself lost in the process. Her sapphire orbs quickly shifted in different directions.

Nothing… Nothing but walls and carpet…

Despite this, her panic level refused to rise. She had worn herself out to the extent where it was impossible to be more afraid and confused than she already was. Her energy to run, to cry, to call out for help was gone.

She felt her legs give in as she landed on the floor in a sitting position. There was barely enough energy left in her to keep her upright, but she had this stubbornness in her that would not let her collapse completely. Her eyes were beginning to dry out of tears. Her panic had caused her to spiral into a complete break down as she dashed through the castle halls.

…She was empty…

:-:-:

Inuyasha dashed through the long, stone corridors of the castle. His golden eyes searched up ahead to detect any sign of the runaway girl. A frown formed on his face as he turned another corner as his actions finally reached his head. Why was he doing this?

He glared up ahead of him as he lost himself in thought. He hadn't been asked to look for that girl. Miroku had almost asked him but he had already started looking for her before then. Incidentally, passing by the empty room was what alerted him to her disappearance.

But she had nothing to do with him… So why was he worried?

'_That stupid girl!"_ he fumed in his head, '_Why the hell does she keep bothering me?'_

He dully noted his anger as he rounded another corner. Unfortunately for the hanyou prince, the carpet's corner had been folded over in a way that made it hard for him to turn properly, resulting in a face plant just a few inches from the wall.

"Damn!" he cursed as he picked himself off the floor, brushing the dust off himself as he did so. His eyes automatically turned to glare at the unkempt carpet as he stomped over to it and kicked it, moving it to its natural position.

He gave the carpet one last death glare before he turned down the hallway to sprint off again, that was when something caught his eye.

In the middle of the floor sat a girl with long, dark, raven hair. A tired expression covered her face as blank eyes stared at him. It was her. It was Kagome.

'_Found her.'_

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: I'm soooo sorry for leaving you guys for so long. So many things have been coming up in my personal life and it has just been so hard to find time and inspiration to write. Right now I just wrote the last half of this with just a speck of inspiration, so it's probably not as detailed and well thought out as the first half.

I'll try my best to get back to my better standards, though I can't promise. School is really taking a lot of time and it turns out my worse subject is English, so we'll see how that goes.

Happy Easter!


	3. First Day

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 3**_

**_First Day _**

"How has your first day been Kagome?" The brown-eyed girl questioned as she picked up the pile of laundry she had been drying. A smile lit up on her face when Kagome reciprocated the gesture. These past few days she had rarely seen any emotion from the girl. Maybe it was because she was still trying to accept her loss of memory, or the incredibly fever she had been suffering from. It was refreshing to see her cheerful for a change. Now that she thought about, Kagome looked like she was normally a cheerful person.

"Hmmm… It's been alright." Kagome mused as she picked up a separate pile of clothes. "Needless to say I'm glad I'm back on my feet again." She smiled as she remembered the past few days she had spent in bed. The horribly weak feeling that had taken over her body through fever was something she remembered she didn't like. As of now, she had yet to recover any true memories.

"That's good," Sango replied as she led Kagome down the corridor to her destination. "Lady Izayoi assigned you to take care of Shippou, right?"

Kagome nodded, she was thankful that the queen had allowed her to reside in the palace, she couldn't imagine trying to trudge through that snow storm. She couldn't quite comprehend how she made it here in the first place, but oh well. But what she was even more thankful for was being assigned one of the easiest jobs ever. Taking care of the little kitsune wasn't hard at all. It was just like taking care of a little sibling… not that she really knew how it felt to look after one.

As the two girls trudged down the corridor, Kagome barely noticed that she had a slight bounce in her step.

"It's an easy job isn't it?"

"Yup," Kagome replied, but was then followed by a certain tantrum from a certain someone. "Unless you're Miroku." The girl sighed as she imagined how much hard work Miroku had to go through to tend to Prince Inuyasha.

She didn't necessarily dislike Inuyasha. He actually seemed like a nice guy when he wanted to be. There was proof of that when he found her in that corridor the day she arrived. He just seemed to be unnecessarily violent when he was mad, especially when it came to dealings about his future betrothal… to someone. Every girl his mother had introduced him to had either been horrified of him or annoyed by his attitude. Yup, no bride yet.

"Yeah," Sango agreed, "But don't worry about him. Miroku's been serving Inuyasha almost his entire life." The older servant smiled, she never really realized how long ago the three of them had become close. "Plus, Inuyasha doesn't really treat Miroku like a servant, more like a friend."

"Oh," Kagome replied as she stopped at a shut door and knocked. "Shippou-chan?"

The door immediately swung open just slow enough for Kagome to get out of the way before it smacked her. She was met with the glowing green eyes of the royal kitsune she was in charge of. "Kagome!" he cheered as he jumped up and perched himself on her shoulder. She smiled warmly at the kit.

She remembered when it was decided that Kagome was to take care of Shippou. The kitsune had been so happy she couldn't retrace how big his smile had been. At least she knew she was welcome in the palace by someone. Not that the others had showed any sign of resentment.

"I'll see you later Sango," Kagome waved at her new friend and shut the door behind her. Her eyes darted around the room as she carefully inspected it. It was much roomier than Sango's room had been, but that was because she wasn't royalty. On the walls stood two large windows with crimson drapes pulled to the side with a gold rope. The bed was much too big for the small kit, heck, it was way too big for her too. She couldn't believe how royalty could live like this, and yet she was just slightly let down.

She carefully set down the pile of clothes she had been holding on the bed and opened the wooden drawers that shined as if they were brand new.

"Kagome…" The girl looked up at the sound of her name. Shippou was leaning against the window sill, staring out as the snow continued to fall as it always had. She couldn't imagine what he possibly found interesting out there. It was almost impossible to see two inches past the window, everything else was covered with snow. There was a pondering look on the small boy's face. Kagome wondered what he was thinking.

"Yes?" she replied as she stuffed another shirt into a drawer.

"Do you think it will ever stop snowing?" he poked at the glass and with a distant look.

Kagome took a second to think about it. She couldn't really say anything since no one had given her any details about the snow. She just figured out for herself that it was snowing for a long time and it wouldn't stop. "I'm not sure."

"Oh," Shippou looked slightly deflated now. He also looked a bit bored from her viewpoint. She would play with him once she was done with her chores.

"What do you know about the snow Shippou?" she asked curiously.

The kitsune shrugged as he looked away from the window and glanced at her. "I don't really know a lot. All I know is that it's been snowing for a really long time. No one's really bothered to tell me anything about it." He looked away and pretended to inspect the floor. "I'm pretty sure Sango knows something about it, but someone of the royal family, like Inuyasha, probably knows a whole lot more…" Shippou hung back on that last prospect as an idea formed in his head.

"Shippou?" Kagome called out to him when he started heading for the door. "Where are you going?"

"Just got an idea for something to do." The kitsune replied as he hopped up and twisted the door knob to let himself out. "I'll see you at dinner Kagome!" he waved a farewell as he trotted down the hallway.

Kagome chuckled, having a rather detailed idea of what he was off to do. "I'm going to have to find him later to break up a fight, I'm sure," she mused to herself as she put away the last garment.

Well, at least she would be able to experience different things and situations faster. Maybe that would bring some memories back.

:-:-:

"I don't know! Get the hell away from me Shippou!" the hanyou prince glared at his cousin. Shippou glared back, determined to get his answer.

"I know you know and I wanna know too! So tell me what you know about the snow!" (whoo, that rhymed) The kitsune demanded as he hopped up to perch on Inuyasha's head.

"Get off my head Shippou," Inuyasha ground out as an eyebrow twitched.

"Not. 'Till. You. Tell. Me." The small boy responded in a sing-song voice.

Inuyasha's mother had made him promise not to start anymore fights with Shippou and start treating him like a younger brother. He had reluctantly agreed seeing how it bothered her so much, but that was slowly about to change. The fox was being way too annoying for his own good.

The hanyou was just about to toss the midget youkai off his head without any fight until the kit started flicking at his white, sensitive ears.

"That's it runt!" he growled and grabbed Shippou by the tail so fast the boy got whiplash.

"Hey!" Shippou snapped back, but then realized he was hanging by his tail and staring directly at Inuyasha. That didn't really stop his rampaging curiosity though. "Tell me about the snow!"

"I don't know anything about the fuckin' snow alright!"

"Please?" Shippou pulled his puppy dog eyes, but then he started wondering if puppy dog eyes would work on a dog… He hoped so.

"Are you deaf?"

"Are you stupid? Why don't you know about your own kingdom?"

"That's it twerp, you're goin' down!" He immediately dropped the kitsune to the floor with full intent on pouncing on his cousin… That is, until he was interrupted.

"So these are the fights that Sango and Lady Izayoi have been telling me about." Kagome sounded off with her arms crossed over her chest as she strode over to them.

Inuyasha was expecting a scolding when she confronted them, he didn't expect her to clamp onto one of his ears and pull him a few feet away from Shippou. "Ow! Watch it bi-!"

She let go before he could finish. "You shouldn't pick on a little kid like that."

"What the-!"

"He was just asking a question," she stated the obvious trying to get a point across. "By the way Shippou, you can go, dinner's waiting in the dining hall."

"Yay!" Shippou cheered as he sprinted off to who knows where. Inuyasha was left gawking as the tiny youkai ditched them.

"What the hell!" Inuyasha glared at Kagome angrily. How dare she think she could boss him around. He was the prince of the castle for crying out loud. She had only been a servant for what? One day? She was overstepping her boundaries.

"Sorry, I'm going to see Shippou anyway, so I'll scold him for provocation later. If I lectured both of you separately that would just hold back dinner even more." Kagome explained and looked away from Inuyasha's angry glare. She was only good at being mad when she was personally offended. If she was acting mad for the sake of someone else she wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Anyway," she continued, "He was just asking a question, you shouldn't get violent about it."

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" he spat out. His death glare was unnoticed by the raven-haired girl.

"Well actually, your mother specifically asked me to scold you if you two got into another argument." Kagome replied, Inuyasha's glare was intensifying.

"Oh really?" he eyed her suspiciously.

"Yeah," Kagome smiled just to spite him, "In fact she said it's always your fault these fights get out of hand and that your temper is starting to get on her nerves."

"What!"

"Anyway, it's time for dinner, so your mom sent me to find you." Kagome changed the subject, trying to avoid personally offending the prince. She knew she was supposed to be respectful, but she was only repeating his mother's words, so that wouldn't make her rude right?

She looked around the long hallways trying to decipher which direction was the best way to go.

"Aren't you supposed to be there too?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Do you know the way?" he asked.

"No," she replied, but then shot him a pleading look to help her get there.

Inuyasha considered it for a bit, "Well, that sucks," he snorted as he sped off down the corridor leaving Kagome behind in the dust.

She could only glare at his shadow.

:-:-:

Inuyasha dashed through the corridors, turning and changing direction every once in a while to reach his destination. His eyes and mind were focused on the task at hand: get to the dining hall to eat, he was starving.

He was so eager to get something in him. Training had taken all day resulting in his lack of lunch and a constantly gurgling stomach. Who wouldn't think it, the world's first malnutritioned prince… in the area. He sighed as his stomach naggeda t him again, Nothing was going to stand between him and his meal.

The hanyou skidded as he slowed down to turn the next corner. His eyes carefully scanned the floor for any flipped over carpets, he wasn't in the mood for a repeat of last time. As he looked from side to side he suddenly caught sight of Sango's open door, the door that led to the room where the new girl was staying at.

His mind wandered just as fast as his feet were moving. Maybe it had been a mistake not leading to the dining hall after all. For the past few days he kept trying to concentrate, trying to find out why the name "Kagome" sounded so familiar. It had been bugging him to no end and he was starting to get sick of it. If he had just brought here there, maybe he could've asked if they had met before.

But that's when he remembered something… _She_ didn't remember _anything_.

One side of his mind kept on telling him that he shouldn't care about her problems at all, or where he had heard her name before. They had never met, at least he didn't think so, he shouldn't have let it bother him so much. But for some reason, he couldn't help it. He couldn't shake off the feeling that it was for something important.

There were just too many conflicting thoughts.

He grumbled a curse and returned his to the present. Why was he thinking about her anyway? She was just a stupid girl who has amnesia, big deal.

A frown crossed his face when something else dawned on him.

He had passed the dining room two hallways ago.

"Shit," he cursed as he spun around and ran in the other direction.

It wasn't long before he arrived. He took notice of his mother, Shippou, Sango, and Miroku's presence at the table. Kagome still hadn't made it. He quietly laughed to himself as thoughts along the line of 'stupid girl' ran through his head. That was her punishment for singling him out like that.

The hanyou took his seat beside his mother and looked around. No one moved to pass out the food. What the heck?

Lady Izaoyoi took note of Inuyasha's questioning glares and declared, "We will not eat until Kagome comes to join us." She answered and looked at the empty seat that was set next to Shippou's.

Inuyasha's head almost fell against the table. "Damn that girl," he cursed quietly as his stomach gave another long gurgle. Maybe he should've helped her out after all.

…But that would make him soft…

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: This is coming out way late, I know. I really have been trying to find time and inspiration. If it's not one thing it's the other, they never really want to come to me at the same time. –sigh- I have a feeling my writing style just went down the toilet too. I'll need to spend some time re-reading my other fanfics to get back into the feel of it. I'm sorry to make you all wait.

I think Alternate Reality is going to be on hold for a little while longer. I'm somewhat at a block for that fic right now so, yeah. Thinking about what's going to happen next, it feels like it's gonna get corny, so I have to fix that first… And maybe come up with an actual solid plot for it first. I have the story completely planned out for Eternal Snow, but I have a problem of rushing into things, so the actual plot may not start for a while. Maybe just 1 or 2 more chapters before the plot, just to get the characters used to things. And yes, I do realize that the jump from the last chapter to this one was a bit big, but I had a feeling the story would be lagging if I didn't do it.

Review please! Suggestions are welcome! (style and pace suggestions, not plot)


	4. Another New Girl

EDIT: For those who read the earlier edition of this chapter, i'd like to alert you to the change in the princess' name from Itako to Sumiko. Reason for this was because I finally realized where I got Itako from (I just recently picked up Shaman King again), and because I looked up the meaning for "Sumi" and found it much more suitable for her.

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Another new girl**_

_**:-:-:**_

Inuyasha could only stare... and gawk at his mother. He had thought the last time had taught her a lesson but obviously it had had no effect. He had known his mother was well eager to get him to do this but he refused profusely evertime. What made this time any different from the others? What made her think that he would act differently this time?

The hanyou watched as his mother sat comfortably in her throne, a warm, motherly smile playing on her face. Inuyasha refused to reciprocate and glared.

Her expression didn't falter.

"Inuyasha," Lady Izayoi smiled and quickly shot him a warning look. "This is Lady Sumiko," she delared and directed his attention to the girl sitting in the seat beside her.

Inuyasha was too pissed to notice the girl there earlier. He had focused all his attention on his mom, hoping she would get the message that this was a waste of time. He reluctantly set his golden eyes upon the girl and was slightly impressed with his mother's choice. Sumiko was a well figured girl in her late teens. Her long brown hair fell down to her mid-back as they framed her matching eyes. She sat up proudly, silently flaunting the well known beauty that she displayed.

A smirk played on Inuyasha's face. If there was one thing he learned through his mother's arrangements it was this: the prettier girls were always the most fun.

He cocked an eyebrow at his mother. "So?"

The queen almost fell out her throne. She could have sworn this would be the last time he turned down a girl. Sumiko was beautiful, couldn't Inuyasha see that? From the way the two girls had been talking earlier she seemed like a sweet one. The perfect picture of her desired daughter-in-law. But Inuyasha was just too stubborn to try. She swore he got his stubborness from his father.

"So," Lady Izayoi answered, subtly hinting her frustration, "maybe you should get to know her."

"Keh! I'll pass," the hanyou snorted.

"Inu-!"

"It's alright Lady Izayoi," Sumiko smiled confidently, "We'll get to know each other in time, i'm sure."

Inuyasha dully noted the way she was batting her eyelashes at him and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it'd be great to get to know a prissy hag like her." He folded his arms and smirked.

He spotted the ticking of the girl's brow.

"Excuse me?" Sumiko spat.

The smirk on Inuyasha's face grew into an all out grin. "Wow, mad already?" The hanyou shook his head disappointedly. "I haven't even gotten to the worst of it yet."

Lady Izayoi could only sit, watch, and speculate as the volume of the soon to be arguement blew out into a full one. She sat and stared at her son. Here he was, in the presence of a beautiful girl who was sweet when she wasn't mad and all he could do was push her away.

Along with all the other girls she suggested.

All 29 of them if she remembered correctly.

She sat in her throne and speculated some more. Then a possibility hit her.

Her son just couldn't be gay, could he?

:-:-:

"Hey Sango," Kagome started as they walked down the stone corridor.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering," the curious girl took a quick peek at the window and continued, "do you know anything about the snow? Like how it started or anything?"

Sango sighed and chuckled, "I was wondering when you were gonna ask me that."

Kagome laughed nervously, "Has news spread about me that fast?"

"Yup, and i'll tell you the same thing as Shippou."

"He's been asking too?"

Sango sighed, "Been bugging me every morning about it."

"Oh," Kagome shot Sango an apologetic look but her friend didn't notice. Instead, the magenta-eyed girl appeared to be concentrating. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Sango broke away from her trance and turned back to her companion. "Oh nothing," she replied, "It's just that Lady Izayoi arranged a meeting for Inuyasha and some girl named Sumiko to get to know each other."

"Arranged marriage?" Kagome inquired.

"Not really," Sango answered with a little laugh playing on her lips. "We're just trying to find a girl who would be willing to marry him."

Kagome pulled a look of confusion. "But for royalty, don't they usually arrange a marriage at a young age?"

Sango looked at Kagome and blinked at her. The blue-eyed girl felt awkward. "What?"

She shook her head, "Nothing, it's just that... You know about this kind of stuff?" The older girl questioned which made Kagome realize something. "Normal citizens of a country wouldn't know about that tradition... Ha! I guess we found a clue to your memory, huh?"

Kagome smiled back, "Yeah," she turned the next corner, still by Sango's side. That's when something dawned on her. "So, why _isn't_ Inuyasha in an arranged marriage? He's still a prince, so something should have-"

Sango cut her off before she could finish, knowing full well what she was going to ask. "Oh, he _did_ have one before." She started and looked thoughtfully at her friend. "They had never met so when they found out they were both really distressed." A look of worry played out on Sango's face, drawing Kagome's attention even more. "The princess was even more upset about it than we expected and locked herself away in her room... Or so the other kingdom says." Sango laughed.

Kagome gave her friend a funny look. "Sounds like some kind of lame excuse for a runaway princess."

Sango laughed even more. "Doesn't it? That's what I thought at first too."

"So this Sumiko girl..." Kagome started, remembering the serious face her friend had earlier, "Is she someone to worry about?"

"Hmm? Oh no, it's not like that," Sango realized what she was reffering to. "Miroku and I just made a bet that-"

There was a bang as the echo of two doors hitting the stone walls of the castle rang through the halls. The source of the noise was close, they both realized that. Kagome and Sango gave each other a quick look before rushing to the end of the hall and peeking around the corner. There they saw a noble lady, the one presumed to be Sumiko, walk out of the throne room with a dark glare.

"Yes! Five minutes!" Sango pumped her fist and whispered under her breath just loud enough for Kagome to hear it. She must have won that bet she was talking about.

"I can't believe I even came here! Who would want to marry some spoiled brat like you!" Sumiko spat out loudly as pure anger flashed on her face.

"I could say the same for you!" Another voice bellowed after her from inside the throne room. Sango and Kagome unmistakably recognized it as Inuyasha. A frown grew on the raven-haired girl's face when she could just imagine the smirk on his face from his tone.

"Urgh! You are so-!" Sumiko wracked her brain for a proper word. "Infuriating!" she screamed and stomped down the hallway.

Inuyasha's downy ears twitched as he picked up some un-princess like words from her. "Just doing my job!" he saluted to her back, ticking her off even further. Sumiko was just about to turn around and fight back but restrained herself and continued storming down the hallway.

Kagome could only watch as Lady Sumiko angrily stomped in their direction. What were they supposed to do? Were they supposed to let her wander the castle to burn off some steam? Run away? Either way, Sumiko looked really scary when she was mad.

She looked to Sango who was watching intently as the princess continued to stride in their direction. Kagome leaned toward her and whispered, "Sango, what do we d-?"

"Hold this," she replied in a hurry. Kagome felt Sango drop her pile of clothes into her hands and onto her already tall pile. She almost lost her balance from the sudden act and sudden loss of vision. The heap in her hand blocked her view of Sumiko, and the rest of the hallway no less.

It took a few tries until Kagome finally got all the clothes shifted enough for her to see what was happening.

Sango was talking with the angry princess... Well, used to be angry, she seemed quite calm now.

How did she do that?

Kagome frowned as their conversation went on for a few minutes. She would have just left if she hadn't been carrying Sango's share of clothes. And the two before her were too far away to hear so she was left standing there in silence... Perfect... The clothes were getting heavy too.

Just when Kagome thought their talk would never end, Sango finally turned around and walked back over to her.

"Kagome, can you bring those clothes to Lady Izayoi's room?" Her magenta-eyes had an apologetic feel to them as she stared at the large pile. "I need to escort Lady Sumiko to her room."

A small frown played onto Kagome's face. Here she was with a pile of clothes that had been partially blocking her view for the past few minutes and Sango was going to replace the load with a princess. She wanted to decline, but there was no way she could say no to a friend. Especially when that friend needed to deal with a disgruntled princess.

Kagome smiled and nodded reluctantly, "Sure," a small sigh escaped her, "no problem."

"Thank you so much," Sango replied with gratitude and sent her friend a look that said 'i'll pay you back later'. She pointed down the corridor that Sumiko had come from and directed, "Just go right, left, another left, right again, up the stairs, down that hallway and a left. Her room is the last one on the right.

Sango noticed the pang of horror on Kagome's face. Those directions were a little confusing, weren't they? "If you need any help just ask one of the other servants, they'll help you out."

Kagome nodded slowly, still trying to play back Sango's orders with a frown. "Okay," she answered and quickly glanced at Sumiko who was growing impatient. It would be really bad if she got mad at Sango for this. Speaking of Sango she still looked a little worried for her. She quickly calmed her by smiling, "Don't worry, I can handle it."

Sango looked reluctant for a moment, but then took her smile as a good sign. "Alright, i'll see you later then." She smiled one last time and walked away, Sumiko followed behind as they disappeared down the hall.

Kagome had unknowingly been holding her breath as Sumiko had passed her with a scrutinzing glance. Was there something wrong with her? She sighed and pushed the thought to the back of her head. She had more important matters to take care of... like memorizing the map of the castle. Or the part of it that she could hear of anyway.

She started on her trek as she turned the directions over in her head, "So it was right, left, right right? Or was it right, left, left... stairs?" Kagome shook her head, frustrated...

...Crap...

:-:-:

Inuyasha smiled proudly to himself as the princess brat retreated down the hallway. That was another princess down. His mother was going to learn eventually that he wasn't going to get married. Not before, not now, not ever. Why couldn't she have seen that with the first 3, maybe 5 princesses. He just couldn't stomach the idea of being bound to some bratty girl that would constantly get on his nerves. He shivered at the mere thought of it and turned to re-enter the throne room.

"Right, left, right?... No, not that..."

The two white triangles atop his head twitched as he caught the noise. He turned around and spotted the greatest target out of anyone in the castle.

... Other than Miroku... And Shippou... He could have teased Sango, but that was way too risky.

"Oi! New Girl!" he called out.

Kagome instantly broke out of her trance and looked around, completely forgetting the progess she had made on those directions. To her dismay, she had taken the trouble to snap out of it by the one person she didn't want to see at the moment.

The one who left her behind the other day.

And now the one who made her forget the directions to his mother's room.

Inuyasha froze, all thoughts of teasing flew aways as the girl suddenly narrowed her eyes at him in a death glare.

That had taken him by surprise. He didn't know she was the kind to hold grudges.

He nervously tried again, "Oi!"

Kagome kept walking, her nose in the air.

Inuyasha stepped back, apallled. She was snubbing him.

"Hey!"

She _still_ kept walking.

That got him mad. The hanyou marched right up to the girl as she passed by the throne room and grabbed her by the shoulder.

... Only to let go when she suddenly rounded on him with a piercing glare. One that could send even a serial killer to rethink his actions.

_'She's just like Sango when she's mad,' _he thought nervously.

Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself. She knew she was angry with the guy, but he was still the prince. Disrespectfulness wasn't a good feature to show in front of nobility. "Yes?" She answered in a less annoyed tone.

Inuyasha backed off a little but quickly regained himself. "Uh... yeah,". The boy suddenly lost his sense of conversation and with a lack of anything better to say he asked, "Is something wrong?"

The girl raised a peculiar eyebrow at him and frowned. "No, i'm not annoyed by the fact that a certain someone ditched me in the halls the other day." She pulled a fake smile on her face, "Why do you ask?"

A shiver went through Inuyasha's body as the sudden change in Kagome's expression clearly freaked him out. "If you're annoyed, then don't fake a smile, it's freaky." He pulled a grimace and Kagome glared back.

"Well, what else can I do to get you away from me?" Kagome turned away from him and continued on her way down the corridor. To her suprise, he decided to follow.

"What do you mean what else can you do?" Inuyasha frowned at her back, arms crossed over his chest. "You don't have to- Hey! Wait!"

Inuyasha dashed forward and caught Kagome by the shoulder, halting her steps and pulling her back a few inches. She turned her head and eyed him suspiciously, quickly adjusting her hands to handle all the clothes from falling over. Kagome watched as Inuyasha's golden eyes shifted from her to the pile of clothes in her hand.

What was so interesting about a pile of clothes?

"Here," Inuyasha started and pulled her back a few more steps. What the heck was he doing? "Give me some of those before you lose another couple brain cells." He roughly grabbed more than half of the clothes out of her hands, curing Kagome of her temporary blindness of her immediate front.

That's when she noticed...

... She was standing right in front of the stairs...

The ones that head down to the floor below them.

She could have fallen if Inuyasha hadn't stopped her.

Her eyes quickly dashed from him to the stairs as she gradually got over the near painful experience. "Thanks..." she looked away.

"Keh!" He snorted "I'll bring mother's clothes to her room, you go do whatever it was you were supposed to do." Inuyasha slanted a look at her and started his way down the hall.

"Wait!" Kagome called after him.

"What?"

Kagome looked around nervously, "Can you tell me how to get to Shippou's room?"

Inuyasha looked back at her, an unbelieving expression on his face. "You don't remember how to get there?"

She shook her head.

He stomped back over to her and met here at eye level. "You still haven't learned the layout of the castle?" She remained silent. "And you've been here for how long? One? Two weeks?"

"No one showed me around yet and I haven't had a chance to ask anyone." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Well sorry if everyone's too busy to take the time to teach me."

The hanyou looked down at her and then across the hallway. There was an open door to the servants quarters right there... They _did_ look pretty busy, just as she claimed. A sigh escaped him as he saw no other choice. He wasn't busy anyway, why not?

"Fine," Kagome looked up at him, slightly confused. "I'll show you around," he offered, shifting the clothes in his arms and small frown on his face.

Kagome was surprised, but there was still a sense of doubt on her features. This couldn't be the same guy who had ditched her the other day could it? He was playing a trick wasn't he?

"But," Inuyasha started, "in return, you are never going to be late for dinner again." He raised a finger to make his point. "If you do delay it again, I promise you you're not gonna like the results."

He felt Kagome scrutinize him for a bit. Obviously she didn't really trust his offer. Sure he had been mean to her the first couple of days on the job, but he could be nice too... If he wanted too... Plus, she might remember something that could cure his annoyances on why she seemed so familiar... He could only hope anyway.

It took a few minutes for Kagome's thoughts to conclude and oblige. "Fine," she smiled and nodded. Out of forgotten habit she held out her pinky to him and watched as he just stared at the outstretched digit.

"Keh!" he snorted, "I don't need no pinky promise!" He turned down the hallway and began on his way.

Kagome didn't move immediately, she had stopped to wonder about something as her eyes stared thoughtfully at her finger.

A pinky promise. Why had she done that? Was that some kind of habit she had before she had forgotten everything? It felt so natural for her.

"Hurry up wench!" Inuyasha bellowed farther down the hallway. "I don't give offers like this very often!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Kagome called back and quickly ran down the hall to catch up.

:-:-:

Sango opened the brown polished door with a passive smile as she allowed Sumiko to step inside the room. The princess strided in to the living quarters of the royal guest room as she took a look around. Sango soon followed inside.

"Is it always this dark in the castle?" The noble asked thoughtfully as she scrutinized the room. It was rather dark despite the large, un-curtained window. Most likely due to the snow. The only other light given off was the dull light of the few candles around the room.

"Not all the time," Sango replied as she tidied up some of the dust that had remained on the bedside table from lack of use. "I'll alert the others to get the lights working in here."

The other girl nodded in response as she spied the bed nearby and flopped herself down. A sigh escaped her as she recounted the conflict earlier that day. She thought it was impossible for a man to turn her down. This had never happend before, everyone man she had encountered had found her irresistable. There was no way a brat prince like him could turn her down.

No doubt it was a blow to her pride.

Sango noticed her frustration.

"I'm sorry Lady Sumiko, but Inuyasha isn't usually like that." The magenta-eyed girl took a try to ammend the damage Inuyasha had inflicted on his name.

Sumiko crossed her legs, folded her arms on the fluffy queen-size canopy bed and looked toward her questioningly. "Oh really?"

"Yes, he's usually like that with new people." She took the time to fluff a pillow. "Most of the time he's pretty decent. If he got to know you more he may just open up to you." Sango informed as she opened up the doors to the bathroom. Sumiko followed her trail with her eyes, curious for more information.

"Hmm..." Sumiko thought to herself and asked, "How long will it be until I'll be able to return?"

"About a few days." Sango replied from the bathroom.

"Alright..." Sumiko replied and thought to herself, an idea forming in her head.

Failure and rejection would not be acceptable.

:-:-:

I swear, having this chapter deleted twice before I could finish has really been starting to grate on my nerves. So i'm done with this chapter. If it seems rushed, i'm sorry, but I did my best. I'll probably go back again and check over it, add some stuff and all that. I honestly found this chapter kind of boring, you might think so too, but it's necessary! I swear!

I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long. As you can see, my writing style has taken a turn for the worse and i've realized it. This is what I get for not writing so long. I promise I will do my best to update quicker and to get it back to the way it used to. Though that may be hard during the school year (i'm taking AP classes), i'll do my best during the summer. The story will start getting good, I promise! I have it all planned out and everything.

Review please! Tips please! No obnoxious flames though.


	5. The Note Approach

EDIT: For those who read the earlier edition of last chapter, i'd like to alert you to the change in the princess' name from Itako to Sumiko. Reason for this was because I finally realized where I got Itako from (I just recently picked up Shaman King again), and because I looked up the meaning for "Sumi" and found it much more suitable for her. I hope this doesn't upset or ultimately confuse anyone. Sorry about the sudden change.

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 5**_

_**The Note Approach**_

_**:-:-:**_

"So..." Kagome started, feeling slightly proud of herself. Learning the layout of the castle wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. "The second floor hallways are something like an "H" shape?"

"Ha! I thought I was the only one who noticed that." Inuyasha grinned, surprised she got the hang of it so quickly.

"And the third floor is like an 'I'?"

"Yup," The hanyou began his way up the stairs with Kagome still following behind him. This was the most he'd spoken with her so far during her stay here. And it was strangely... pleasant... and maybe somewhat like deja vu. He narrowed his eyes in thought. Maybe they _had_ met and spoken before now.

His face drew a frown. How was that possible? He had only left the castle once in his whole life, he would have remembered Kagome if they had met before.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome snapped him out of his trance with a worried look on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh-uh... yeah, i'm fine." What was wrong with him? He didn't usually space out in public.

But this feeling... It felt so important.

He quickly shooed the fleeting thought away. He would think about it later. "Anyway, the fourth floor is a lot simpler than the others."

"How's that?"

The moment she asked they both stepped on to the last platform of the staircase and entered the hallway. Kagome's eyes grew wide, it was so much wider than the other halls downstairs.

And now that she actually took the time to look at it she noticed why it was so simple. "It's just one hallway!" She stated the obvious.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes down at her, wondering why she just now realized it. Shippou's room was up here, how could she _not _notice? "You haven't noticed before?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

Kagome shook her head. "Most of the time i'm rushing around trying to find places and get things done that I don't notice." She smiled nervously with a light chuckle playing on her lips.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted and marched his way down the hall. Kagome followed, still curious about one thing.

"Why _is_ there only one hallway?"

"Hmm?" Inuyasha looked back at her as he twisted the door knob of his mother's door. A smirk played out on his face. "Because all of the rooms are..." He swung the door open and entered, "This big."

Kagome wasn't sure if it was allowed for her to enter and so stuck with looking in from outside. From what she could see, it was huge. A whole lot bigger than she thought a room could get. Just by standing outside the door it was practically impossible to see the whole room on its own. The majority of the place she could see was taken up by the bed.

A voice from inside called to her, "You can come in y'know." Inuyasha informed her as he set his mother's kimonos on the bed. "You're supposed to be the one putting these away anyway."

When Kagome was still in shock of the enormity of the room to move inside, Inuyasha stalked over to her and tugged her in. The girl almost lost her balance as a result of the force but quickly caught herself. It didn't seem like she noticed though since she continued to spin her head... and her body around to get the full picture of the room.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, was it really that big of a deal? He was about to turn and leave but it worried him that Kagome might be a bit too curious.

"Hey!" he caught her attention and she ceased her spinning, her wide eyes gleaming at him. He blinked back at her, surprised. He never actually looked at her eyes, but it was only then that he realized they were blue... A really deep blue. The thought quickly left him as he shook his head and pulled a frown, "When you're done get back to work," He turned and exited the room. She was just about to get back to her looking when he added, "And don't you dare be late for dinner!"

A smile planted itself on her face as she laughed to herself and got started

:-:-:

Kagome hugged the small clothes as she walked down the hallway. Recounting the events of the day was just enough to make her smile though... She didn't really know why, she felt so free... well, free-er than before, now that she knew the way around the castle... But, she felt strangely happy despite being stuck with a sevant's job. It wasn't so bad, she had to admit. The people around here were friendly and the queen and prince weren't slave drivers. She had no reason to feel hostile towards them or to her lifestyle.

She was thankful.

A smile crept onto her face as she made it to her assignment's room.

The kitsune's room.

She gently took hold of the doorknob, twisted, and stepped into the room. Now that she looked at it, it was a lot smaller than Lady Izayoi's room. It was probably because Shippou was only staying in one of the royal guest rooms. Though, there was no doubt that the room was definitely a lot bigger than her own.

Kagome had just started putting away the clothes when the door opened. She didn't bother to look up to see who was entering. Shippou's telltale 'thump' after dropping from the doorknob to the floor was enough information.

"Hi Shippou," she greeted, quickly glancing up from her storing.

"Kagome!" Shippou cheered and ran over to her. "Glad you made it." He smiled up at her.

The raven-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Made it for what?"

"This!" Shippou shoved a bowl full of chocolate covered cracker sticks in her face; the chef's special dessert.

Kagome half smiled and half frowned at Shippou. She couldn't decide whether to be mad at him or to thank him since she had recently gotten addicted to the stuff. "You smuggled pocky from the kitchen again?" Despite her admonishing tone, she picked one out of the batch and stuck it in her mouth.

"Of course!" The kitsune copied her actions and leaped onto the bed.

"They didn't catch you?"

"Of course not!" A smug grin broke out on his face. "I, Shippou, will not be outwitted by a chef!" he declared and beat his chest.

Kagome laughed and closed the drawer, sitting next to him on the bed and plucking another pocky stick out of the bowl. She chewed happily on it and looked through the window.

The scene was as white as ever as the snow fell relentlessly. It's ferocity hadn't diminished ever since she arrived.

Not like she was expecting it to.

"Oh, Kagome!"

"Hmm?" Said girl glanced down as the kit pulled out a folded piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Sango told me to give this to you," he informed, handing her the paper. She took it, abandoning the pocky stick in her mouth and leaving it to hang there.

She opened it, read it... and groaned.

"What'd it say?" Shippou asked with wide, curious eyes.

Kagome frowned back down at the note and summarized, "I've been assigned to take care of Lady Sumiko..." She wasn't sure if she should feel honored like she thought she should, or very scared because of her display of anger earlier.

"Who's that?"

"The princess here to meet Inuyasha," she stated dully.

The kitsune laughed, "Did Inuyasha chase her out?"

"Yeah," the girl answered, but then realized something. "How many girls has he chased out?" She looked shocked.

"A ton," he answered, getting back to his pocky and speculating his cousin's behavior. "He's been like that ever since his mom started arranging them. No one really knows why though."

"Oh." Kagome took in the information with wide eyes.

"If you ask me, I think he just doesn't know how to impress a girl so he tries to cover it up by doing it on purpose," he smiled thoughtfully, proud that his theory seemed the most sensible.

Kagome laughed and looked down at the paper in her hands again. "It says she's right next to your room, so i'm just gonna go introduce myself."

Shippou nibbled on another chocolate stick when Kagome went over to the door. "Good luck!" He cheered, familiar with the attitudes of the other princesses after they had just fought with Inuyasha.

The raven-haired girl opened the door, "Thanks," she smiled back at him, "I'll need it."

And she left.

To face the bitter unknown.

:-:-:

Sumiko lay on her stomach on her bed, watching the thick waves of snow fall through the air on the screen of her window. The low howls of the wind played echoed off the stone walls ourtside as the cold radiated through.

It was sort of depressing.

_'How do people live like this?'_ she asked herself, hand in her face... unbearably bored.

She played her plan over again and mentally turned it around, making sure it was perfect. The way she looked at it, Inuyasha just couldn't refuse her.

Now she just needed to execute it. But first she would need the-

A knock at the door disrupted her thoughts as she snapped her head back to look at it. "Come in," she commanded and was answered by the squeaking of the thick, wooden plank on hinges.The servant girl in the hall from earlier entered through the doorway.

Just in time.

Sumiko pasted on the warmest smile she could and sat up to face her guest. "Hello," she greeted.

"Hello," Kagome responded, "My name is Kagome, i'll be attending to you during your stay here." She bowed out of respect and straightened herself again when Sumiko acknowledged her.

"I see," Sumiko looked her over. She had dark, raven hair just like hers, only wavier. The only worth mentioning difference between them were her blue eyes. Otherwise, she was pretty plain compared to herself.

This Kagome girl would be perfect.

Sumiko hadn't been paying attention, but Kagome had continued talking during her observations of the girl. So it was sudden to Kagome when her Lady suddenly stood up and approached her.

"You're familiar with Inuyasha, correct?" she asked slyly, a coy smile playing on her lips.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" She wasn't sure how she was supposed to answer that. Who in this castle _wouldn't_ know Inuyasha? He was only the prince of this place.

"Then," Sumiko started, taking a letter out of her obi, "would you mind giving this to him?" Kagome accepted it and nodded, acknowledging the mission.

Yes, approaching a quick tempered man armed with letter written by the one woman he obviously didn't like was considered a mission.

"I'm expecting a reply from him too, so make sure you deliver it and make sure he reads it." Sumiko demanded, tapping a fan gently against the love note.

Great! She wanted a reply too! Kagome wanted to refused but nodded reluctantly, she could imagine how hard it would be just to deliver it, but to ask for a reply as well was...She didn't even want to think about it. The girl, noticing that Sumiko was finished talking and shooing her away like a puppy, walked out the doorway and shut the door behind her...

And stuck her tongue out at the door behind her as she threw her hands up in the air.

Grumbling, Kagome stomped over to the other room to tell Shippou she'd be right back. She dully noted that Shippou had a slightly horrified look on his face as they stared at each other.

The observation left her mind in an instant as she shut the door behind her and marched down the hallway...

...To Inuyasha's room...

_'Ugh... Inuyasha's gonna be pissed.' _

At least it wasn't time for dinner yet.

:-:-:

"Miroku," Sango called out in a sing-song voice as she pranced into the kitchen quarters. A wide smile plastered onto her face as a triumphant gleam sparkled in her eyes.

There was a loud thump that echoed from a nearby cabinet. Sango looked around when she heard a curse follow not long after. From what she could tell there was no one inside... Until the slamming of a cabinet on the other side of the counter alerted her to a presence.

A certain loser's presence.

Miroku quickly picked himself off the floor, rubbing his head to quell the ache that had rudely disturbed him as he set a jar of tea leaves on the counter. It didn't take long to wipe the frown off and replace it with a smile when he spotted his soon-to-be lady. "Hi Sango," he greeted cheerfully as he opened another cabinet and ventured for a cup.

"Hi..." Sango started and took a seat at the counter, watching her friend with a confused look. "What are you doing?"

"Making tea," he responded bluntly, his face covered by the cupboard door. He shut it, a clay cup now in his hands. "Kaede's condition is getting worse, it seems."

"I don't remember you being on the cooking squad," the girl queried.

"That's because i'm not," Miroku responded as he crunched the tea leaves in his hand before dropping them into the cup. "Haruhi had to make more pocky because _someone_ stole her other batch." He emphasized 'someone' knowing exactly who the culprit was. When would the kitsune learn that stealing and not sharing the loot was bad?

Sango dropped her head in her hands as she raised an eyebrow at the boy. "First name basis already?" There was a slightly unconscious frown forming on the magenta-eyed girl's face, one that Miroku caught in an instance.

"There's no need to be jealous, Sango," he smiled at her and leaned across the counter to get closer to her.

The girl's face jerked out of her hands, "I'm not jealous," Sango stated firmly, "I just think you should stop harrasing the girls around here."

"It's not harrasment!" he argued.

"Whatever," Sango sighed, "But don't come running to me when they start beating you with rolling-pins."

"Why rolling-pins?"

"Would you prefer cookie cutters?"

"Umm.. no, I don't think I would."

"Exactly," Sango stood up, feeling triumphant once again as she folded her arms.

Which brought her back to her original intention to meet up with him.

"By the way, you owe me," She smiled at him mischeviously.

Miroku's attention ripped away from the tea he was brewing and narrowed his sights on Sango. "Are you serious?"

"You bet two minutes, I bet five. It took five minutes for Inuyasha to piss the new princess off, so I win."

The boy groaned and shook his head, a slightly disappointed look on his face. "Okay, fine," he started and looked her in the eyes, "What do you want this time?"

"An apple."

The boy smiled, "That's it?"

Sango wasn't finished, "Freshly picked from the basement."

Miroku's jaw dropped, "Are you kidding?" the boy almost dropped the jar of tea leaves in his hand. "You know how hard it is to get something from there unless you're one of the kitchen ladies!" The basement was a very strict and mysterious place. Because of the snow, it was always hard to find sources of food. The basement however housed a garden where produce was grown. How that was possible was still a mystery to most people on the higher floors, but the workers in the kitchen seemed to know the secret.

Which was why they were so protective of the place, fearing novices might mess up the process.

"Not my problem," Sango wanted to laugh at his expression but held it back. "Besides, you're the one who insisted on having the bet, _you_ deal with the consequences."

Miroku felt like crying rivers of tears. He thought he would actually win this time, how did it turn out like this? A sigh escaped and he nodded, "Fine, i'll do it."

Sango smiled and patted his head, "Good."

"Miroku!" A voice bounced off the stone walls from the hallway as a certain blue-eyed girl dashed into the kitchen, a note in her hands.

"Kagome?" The two older ones acknowlodged at the same time. Both curious about her rush.

The girl keeled over, trying to get her breathing back in check. She had ran all the way from the fourth floor to the first when she noticed the time.

"Are you alright?" Sango walked over to her and patter her back, trying to help calm her friend's erratic breathing.

Kagome looked up, looked her friend in the eye and nodded, a smile on her face to look more convincing. She noticed a certain pony-tailed man standing behind her friend and quickly regained her composure. Just the person she was looking for. "Miroku," she called to him, catching his attention before he decided that everything was fine and left.

The boy turned around, the finished cup of tea in his hand. Kagome, note in her hand reached out to Miroku, indicating it was for him. Miroku, being the curious cat that he was, instinctively walked over and took it.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's from Lady Sumiko." she answered, dully noticing the way Sango almost immediately glared at the message.

Miroku practically lit up. "For me?"

"No, for Inuyasha."

"Oh..." He deflated as he turned the sealed letter over in his hands. "If it's for him, why don't you give it to him?"

"I would have," Kagome started, replaying the past moments in her head. "But when I got to his room he wasn't there and when I asked around they all said they hadn't seen him, so I figured i'll give it to the next best person to deliver it."

Sango took note of the facial gestures Kagome was using and learned that she really did not want to deliver it. And she understood why, to deliver a letter from a potential wife to a certain hanyou who obviously didn't like her was like suicide. She was happy that Kagome realized this before she condemned herself to that.

Miroku knew where this was going too. "So you want _me_ to give it to him?" He asked unbelievably.

"Please?" Kagome pulled her best puppy dog pout to help.

The boy looked at Kagome and looked away, trying his best to get away from the young girl's charm. "Ummm..." he started and looked to his cup of tea, hoping they would realize that he was too busy to do it.

"C'mon Miroku," Sango started and shoved the letter into his chest, "You're the only one who's managed to go through Inuyasha's warth and survive it, you'll manage this time."

The boy looked reluctantly at the letter and back at Sango... and looked away from Sango when she started giving him the death glare. He sighed, "Alright, i'll give it to him tonight."

A smile automatically grew on Kagome's face as she desperately thanked him. Miroku took no notice of it, instead he was planning his strategy on how to deliver the note and at the same time escape somewhat unscathed.

"Lady Sumiko's expecting a reply, so make sure to tell him that." Kagome addedbut thensmiled nervously when Miroku visibly began to pale.

He was going to die.

:-:-:

AN: Faster update this time! Hope you guys liked it. While re-reading this chapter, I noticed that the writing styles in the first and second half were a bit different. I tried to change it, but at the same time I felt a bit satisfied with it too so i'll go over it again later when i'm more motivated to write. And as a heads up, this may be the last time I update in a while. As I mentioned before, I have AP projects to work on and I have to finish them before August because i'll be in the Philippines for a month. So i'll be working hard on those instead of my fanfics. I'm sorry. I really would prefer my fanfics over my projects, but you know how school is.

I'll try my best to write at night before I go to sleep though.

Review please! No obnoxious flames though!


	6. His Reply

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_**His Reply**_

_**:-:-:**_

Kagome carefully folded the towel in her hands and placed it on the shelf in the bathroom. She took a few steps back and looked at her progress.

Lady Sumiko's bathroom was shiny, tidy, and nice smelling. The servant beamed at her work and wiped imaginary sweat from her brow. She had just spent about two hours cleaning the princess's room and bathroom; one hour for each. A sigh escaped her as she walked back into the bedroom and looked around.

She had never actually gotten the chance to observe Sumiko's room, but now that she looked at it, she realized it was probably only a quarter of the queen's room based on size. The princess was not really fond of any of the servants and wished to get away from them as soon as possible if possible. Kagome shook her head, she never really thought that a princess could really live by the brat stereotype.

Kagome's attention was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the door leading to the hallway open. As soon as she realized, she dashed straight into the bathroom and feigned working again until she was assured that Lady Sumiko entered the room. She didn't want to be caught looking around the room again. Last time she did that the princess accussed her of stealing something.

Thankfully, the accusations were dropped when Sumiko realized that Kagome was only cleaning away the dust on her drawers.

The blue-eyed girl stepped out of the bathroom to alert the other girl of her presence. "Good afternoon, Lady Sumiko," Kagome smiled lightly, schooling her features so she wouldn't glare or frown at the noble.

Sumiko didn't reply, she simply nodded with a frown on her face.

That couldn't be good.

"Kagome," she pursed her lips as she looked around the room, as if making sure that Kagome didn't take anything for real this time.

"Yes?"

Sumiko pinned her with a glare, "Why haven't you delivered the letter to Inuyasha yet?" she demanded, venom wreaking from her voice.

Kagome was about to freeze up on the spot, but resisted. The cogs in her mind turned as she struggled through her thoughts, trying to come up with a lie.

"I haven't been able to come across him yet," she answered without a hitch in her voice. Sumiko couldn't have heard it as a lie. She smiled inwardly, feeling proud of herself.

"It's been three days," Sumiko shot at her, the frown on her face deepening as her glare narrowed.

Kagome cursed at herself mentally as she stood there. She tried wracking her brain again, but then realized it was meaningless. If she decided to overturn her original answer then Sumiko would realize that she was lying.

Fortunately for her, Sumiko sighed and held up her hand, indicating she didn't want to hear anything from Kagome. "Go," Sumiko commanded, "Give it to him now," she rubbed at her temples with one hand and directed at the door with the other.

"Yes, Sumiko-sama," Kagome nodded and padded her way over to the door.

"But you better give me his reply tonight," Sumiko added and slammed the door on Kagome when she was out in the hall.

:-:-:

Kagome stood there and rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the same time wondering why Lady Izayoi decided to keep Sumiko here. Couldn't she see that Sumiko was nothing but a conceited brat?

She let out a sigh and looked down the hall. At the end of it was Inuyasha's door, the place where the letter was supposed to be sent to.

Honestly, now that she thought about it, it would've been better to just give it to him in the first place. But that was the part of her that was tired of dealing with Sumiko. The sensible part was desperately telling her to leave it to Miroku and just remind him to give it to Inuyasha in case he forgot.

Kagome walked down the hall. Even if she wanted to give him the note, she didn't have it on her. The one who had it was-

The door at the very end of the hallway slowly opened and a certain black-haired man stepped out of the room as he pulled the door closed behind him.

A smile grew on the girl's face. He just had to have the best timing ever.

"Miroku!" Kagome called to him. His head shot up at the sound of her voice and he stared at her with wide-eyes.

The girl blinked… Okay, why was he looking around like that? And why did he look scared?

When Kagome approached him he halted his strange actions and feigned an innocent, clueless smile. "Hi Kagome," he faked a chuckle, "How's Sumiko doing?"

"She's mad," the girl replied bluntly, narrowing her eyes on the boy. "Where's Inuyasha's reply?"

Miroku glanced around, momentarily trying to search for a way out of this, but it was hopeless. He was trapped. "I don't know…" he answered slowly, a nervous smile peaking out on his face.

Kagome raised an eyebrow and place her hands on her hips. "Did you give it to him?" she asked suspiciously. That was something she and Sango had been wondering about for the past few days. They had both been listening intently for some kind of explosion from the hanyou's bedroom when Miroku supposedly gave it to him.

But alas, there was none.

The older boy schooled his features, knowing he was telling the truth. "Of course I did," he stated proudly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am," he answered seriously, trying to ignore the intimidation Kagome was trying to display.

"Positive?" Kagome dug deeper.

Miroku sighed, "I did, Kagome. I honestly _did_ give it to him."

Kagome's hands dropped to her side as she pulled a confused look. "Then why are you still alive?"

"Haha," Miroku feigned laughter, trying to lighten the mood. "You see, that's the thing…" he rubbed the back of his neck when Kagome's confused look dropped to make way for a demanding one. She wasn't gonna like this. He took a deep breath and said it, "He didn't read it."

Silence cursed them both as neither of them spoke.

Kagome blinked at him… Then blinked again. She could just hear the brat at the opposite end of the hallway blaming her for something that really had nothing to do with her. Was it really her fault that Sumiko was a conceited brat?

No.

Was it her fault that Inuyasha was a jerk to her?

No.

Miroku watched as Kagome delved through her thoughts, blinking everyone now and then as her face remained void of emotion. "Kagome?" he called to her, starting to worry if she was alright. Was it really that big of a shock?

She was fine alright.

She just couldn't take it anymore.

The boy almost jumped back when he could practically feel her temper flare like a bonfire. But strangely, her face took on a perfectly happy look.

There was something wrong with this combination.

"Is he inside?" she asked pleasantly, pointing to the hanyou's door.

Miroku stepped out of her way and hesitantly nodded. This couldn't be good.

"Thanks," Kagome beamed brightly at him as she took hold of the doorknob, gently opened the door, and quietly closed it behind her with a click.

That was when he realized what exactly she was doing. She had just trapped herself in a room with a prince that had a temper practically rivaling her own hidden one.

Only one thought ran through his mind as he processed the information.

He dashed down the hallway and practically slid down the stairs.

He had to tell Sango.

:-:-:

Inuyasha sat in his fluffy, red arm chair as he reclined his feet on the matching foot rest. A pocky stick remained lodged in his mouth as he sucked on the chocolate before biting down into the to bread stick. His golden eyes glued themselves to the scene before him… as they always did.

Though he never knew why he always did that, there was nothing to see beyond the window. It was just a bunch of cold, white dust hailing from the sky; just like it did everyday.

He had always told himself that he should just move the chair into another position so he could mindlessly stare at something else.

But there was something about the snow…

Downy ears twitched as he vaguely heard the click of the door closing.

Strange… Miroku said he was late to do something. Why was he coming back?

The hanyou sniffed the air, soon realizing that it wasn't Miroku that had entered, but a certain new girl who had been on his mind a lot lately.

Not in the way his mother would have liked.

He sat there in the silence, waiting for the girl to say something if that was what she was here for. But she remained silent. He waited another minute. Still silent. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air again, she was still in the room.

And she was close.

A frown developed on his face as his eyes narrowed. Reluctantly, he leaned to the side and looked behind him when-

Smack!

A pillow hit him right in the face. He blinked when it dropped and spotted Kagome straight a head, an envelope in her hand. The one he had left on his bedside table with the intention to burn it when he passed by the kitchen later.

A growl escaped him when he remembered that she had just "attacked" him with a pillow. "What the hell was that for bitch?" he demanded, volume rising in his voice.

Kagome didn't even flinch as she gripped the letter in her hand. "You have to read this." She said evenly, holding it up for him to see more clearly.

Inuyasha glared at her and the note and turned his attention back to the snow. "I don't _have_ to do anything," he scoffed, eyeing the snow more intently now. "Especially anything from that bitch."

Another pillow come crashing down on him, this time it landed on his ears. "What the hell?" he looked up and found Kagome's unhappy face staring down at him.

Yeah, that was definitely not her happy face. She was in a rage.

She shoved her face just inches away from his. He blinked at the close proximity. "And that "bitch" just so happens to be blaming _me_ for _your_ being such a jerk!" she practically shrieked at him. He had to flatten his ears so much that you couldn't even see them if you were looking.

Inuyasha cocked a smirk. "Well, sucks for you doesn't it?"

"ERGH!" Kagome pulled away from. She wanted to pull her hair out, but she probably wouldn't like the outcome and so resisted. "Just write something to her!" Kagome suggested aggressively, throwing her hands up in the air. "I don't care what you write to her! Just tell her something so I don't have to deal with her conceited, brat attitude anymore!"

The hanyou prince raised an eyebrow and watched as Kagome's breathing grew erratic from all the shouting she had just done. "You practically just insulted a noble." Inuyasha observed bluntly as he stared at his claws. "You know there are really serious consequences for that?"

Kagome clenched and un-clenched her fists at her side; trying to calm herself down from the two idiotic higher-ups that she now hated with a passion. Sumiko for being so annoyingly conceited and Inuyasha for just being infuriating.

She bit her lip, realizing that he had a point. But she had already said it; there was no turning back now. She took a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks, letting the air out slowly. One thing she remembered were the techniques she used to calm herself down.

A sigh escaped her as her body went loose, calm. Inuyasha looked up from his claws and noticed that Kagome went slack.

"Can you please just give her a reply?" Kagome pleaded, all anger she had displayed earlier gone. Now she was desperate. "Just something to tide her over so she can stop nagging at me, that's all."

Inuyasha frowned at her. Where did all her spunk go? Now she was just pathetic.

"Are you really that desperate?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kagome sighed. "Yes, and if you were me I think you would be too." She replied bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.

There was silence. Kagome stood there as Inuyasha scrutinized her. She swore to herself, she wouldn't leave until she got the letter from him. She didn't care what it said, as long as she got something to get Sumiko to stop accusing her.

"Fine."

Kagome's eyes shot wide open. She wasn't expecting Inuyasha to answer so easily.

"Really?" she asked almost disbelievingly, a slight smile creeping onto her face.

"Whatever," he snorted, "Just get the damn brush," he pointed to the desk where the brush and ink lay on the other side of the room.

Kagome retrieved it without another thought, handing him the brush and letter when she returned to his side.

He shook his head as he ripped the seal off and glanced over the words.

Kagome stepped back, giving him enough space to write his reply in private. When she backed up into the bed she lightly set herself down to sit on the edge.

"Bitch," Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, taking the brush in his hands and writing.

"You don't even know the half of it." Kagome added and rolled her eyes at the very thought of the princess.

"Probably," he replied, "What I _do_ know is that when she gets this letter I'm not gonna be able to get away from her."

Kagome frowned at the back of his chair. "Well, if you don't want her near you then just plain out say it." She huffed and folded her arms. "If you don't like her then don't make it seem like you like her or you might eventually get bound to her."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed as he scribbled the brush across the paper. "Like I'll ever let that happen. She's too annoying."

Kagome chuckled, "True."

:-:-:

Inuyasha was just about done with his letter when Kagome asked if he was finished. "Almost," he replied casually. He contemplated if he should take the trouble to stamp it with a seal but figured Sumiko wasn't worth the trouble.

He simply folded it in half and handed it to the girl behind him.

"Thanks Inuyasha," Kagome smiled at his back and plucked the paper out of his hands.

"Whatever," he drawled as he crossed his arms, resuming his watch of the snow. "Just get it to her so she doesn't blame you again, and then make you blame me again."

Kagome giggled, "Will do," she padded her way to the door and opened it. "Thanks again," she smiled again and closed the door behind her.

Inuyasha's ears twitched, the click of the door shutting alerting him that she was gone. A smirk grew on his face as he closed his eyes.

He never thought Kagome was capable of getting _that_ mad. And after they sorted it out, she was strangely very agreeable with his opinions. He had to admit, talking to her was quite… pleasant.

It was rare to have a talk like that once in a while. Sure he talked to Miroku a lot, but it was mostly the dark-haired boy telling him about what the servant's were talking about. It was never really a discussion. It was more like story telling.

The smirk on his face grew.

Well, he had just insured that more of those pleasant talks with Kagome would come about.

Whether she liked it or not.

A clawed hand reached up to his forehead as he felt his temperature just for the sake of checking. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts overtake him.

'_Heh-heh… hahaha, you're funny.'_

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open as he could clearly hear a little girl's voice in his head. But just as suddenly as it had come, it had left. Nothing else came after that.

The hanyou sat up and placed his feet on the ground, sitting on the edge of his seat as he blinked. His eyes narrowed at the white snow.

"What was that?"

:-:-:

Kagome walked down the hallway, a slight bounce in her step as she held the letter in her hand. A beaming smile plagued her face as she passed the steps leading downstairs.

She could finally get Sumiko off her back.

"Kagome!" The girl halted at the sound of her name. She looked to her side, down the steps where Miroku and Sango were running over to her.

She waved to them. "Hi guys," she greeted with a bright smile, practically oblivious to the worry on their faces.

When they reached her in the hallway, Miroku had to hold himself up against his knees to catch his breath. Sango was perfectly fine, but she looked worried. "Are you okay, Kagome?" she asked, grabbing her friend by the shoulders.

Kagome blinked confused, "Of course I am," she smiled nervously, completely clueless of the reason they were worried. "Why do you ask?"

Sango only had to look at the note in her hands for Kagome to figure it out.

Miroku's attention was caught at the sight of the note. "Inuyasha actually replied?" he asked, bewildered. "I wanna read!" he reached his hand out to take it but Sango slapped it away.

"He didn't do anything?" Sango blinked, surprised.

Kagome bounced on her heels. "Well, we got into a shouting match," she started, vaguely noticing Sango and Miroku's now deeply worried looks. "But it turned out alright," she smiled at them, waving the note in her hand.

They could only blink.

"I have to give this to Sumiko before she starts nagging again," she took a step forward and smiled at them. "I'll see you guys at dinner." And she was gone down the hall.

The couple remained blinking at her back until she finally disappeared into the princess's room.

"Well," Sango started, "At least we know who can handle Inuyasha now." She smiled, relieved.

"Yeah," Miroku nodded and agreed. Then an idea occurred to him. "Do you think she would be willing to trade jobs with me?" He would definitely rather tend to Sumiko than Inuyasha.

Sango could only roll her eyes as she headed back downstairs.

:-:-:

AN: Wow! I think that went pretty well. I think I'm finally getting my writing knack back. –smiles- I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It was a good break from wracking my brain to write for Alternate Reality. Believe me, I really do love writing for that fic, but the current chapter is a bit of a challenge for me, so I took a break.

Hope you guys liked this chapter. We're finally getting into the actual plot. –smiles bigger-

Oh yeah, and everyone who guessed that the title is based after the song "Eternal Snow" from "Fullmoon wo Sagashite"; congratulations! You're right, it's from that series. It's one of my favorites, by the way. Anyone who has never watched, read, or listened to the music; I recommend it completely!

Review please!


	7. Singing Telegram

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Singing Telegram**_

_**:-:-:**_

It had been two days since Kagome had handed Sumiko that letter from Inuyasha, two days since she and the hanyou prince had agreed whole heartedly that they disliked the princess, and two days since that strange grin planted itself on Sumiko's face after reading the whole letter.

Kagome couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Was Sumiko expecting a reply letter _supposedly_ littered with insults? Or was that letter really the hate letter that Kagome was expecting from Inuyasha?

"Kagome!" Sumiko called out gentler than usual, "Please come back tomorrow for the reply letter." The princess set down the note on her desk and daintily set herself in the chair in front of it to read it again.

Okay… Now she was really confused, but without another word she complied and left the room quietly to resume the chores that she had momentarily put off.

She returned the next night only to find out that the princess wasn't finished with her letter. From what Kagome could tell from her crack at the door, Sumiko, brush in hand, was hard at work with Inuyasha's letter in the other hand.

What exactly had Inuyasha written in that letter that compelled Sumiko to write so much?

And after complaining so much about her just a few days ago, what had Sumiko written that had caused his opinion to completely turn around? Her smile wouldn't be that big as a result of a hate letter.

Now here she was on the third night; again at the princess' door. If she wasn't finished with that letter, she would feel safe to assume the princess was writing him a book.

'_I don't think Inuyasha's worth all this time,'_ she thought as a sigh escaped her. She was hoping Sumiko finally finished that letter tonight. Her curiosity was getting the best of her and the need to ask Inuyasha what exactly he had written had been overwhelming her for the past few days. And with all the work she was doing everywhere else, she needed an excuse to go visit him.

With a final breath of determination she rapped on the thick, wooden door, hearing its hollow echo on the other side.

"Come in," An annoyed person on the other side answered.

Kagome rolled her eyes and entered to find the princess sitting on the edge of her bed, tapping her finger against her folded arm. "Where have you been?" she demanded, voice rising in agitation.

Why didn't she see this coming? "I'm sorry, I had to help clean up after dinner." The blue-eyed girl bowed apologetically, gritting her teeth before wiping the attitude off her face.

"Hmmm…" Sumiko examined her nails as she dismissed her servant's excuse. "Okay, well be quicker next time." Her impatient eyes suddenly snapped at Kagome, making her jump. The princess gracefully picked up the reply envelope off her bed and held it out for Kagome to take.

Kagome couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that envelope. It definitely showed that Sumiko put the time into writing it, but this was a bit excessive. It was practically the size of a book!

"Take it to him now," The princess commanded sternly, "I want the reply as soon as possible." She ended it at that as she stood up and pushed past Kagome on her way to the door, opening it as if to tell her to get out.

And she did.

With the slam of the door, Kagome jumped in the wide hallways as she gripped the letter in her hand, almost crushing it but just barely. A small smirk formed on her lips as she held it up higher for her scrutiny. There was a candle wax seal on the envelope, just like the last time.

There was no chance for her to read what Sumiko had written without being caught by Inuyasha. But if she remembered correctly based on the last reply, Inuyasha didn't take the time to seal his letter.

Maybe that would allow her to find out what they were saying.

Her mind played battlefield for a while, one side arguing that it was none of her business what royalty was talking about and that she shouldn't care while the other half remained curious and pushed her to open it.

She couldn't help but agree with the latter side.

And the only way to find out what they were talking about was to get that reply from Inuyasha.

:-:-:

_'Two… Days…'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he reclined against his big, red arm chair. He had been waiting two days for that stupid reply from the brat princess down the hall. It had been roughly 48 hours! Why wasn't it or its delivery girl here yet?

He covered his mouth in contemplation as his eyes furrowed to come up with a solution. Based on Kagome's persistence that he reply, it was unlikely that she avoided the delivery. Kagome didn't seem like the type of girl who would rather endure crap instead of delivering the letter she had been waiting for.

Another possibility was that Sumiko refused to reply. That was quite possible if she aimed at playing hard to get (Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the thought), but Sumiko thought too highly of herself to actually resort to that.

Hmm… Maybe it was-

The downy, dog ears on his head twitched as he caught the hollow sound of a knock at the door. He sniffed the air checking to see if it was Miroku.

It wasn't.

"Come in," he replied, a trace amount of annoyance laced his tone. Why hadn't it come earlier before he started worrying about it?

He heard the door quickly open and shut as the raven-haired girl entered without hesitation. He was about to tell her to come over to the opposite side of the room but she beat him to it.

Kagome stomped across the room, passing the large bed and stationing herself beside the hanyou's chair. "What did you write to her?" she demanded with a confused look on her face.

Inuyasha glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Weren't you the one complaining about her the last time I was here?"

The hanyou rubbed his chin, "Well, she was being pretty persistent with this letter, so I thought I should give her a chance." A grin mischievously played on his lips.

Kagome gave him a suspicious look but waved it off. "Right…" she drawled and dropped the thick letter into his lap, eliciting a surprised gasp from the hanyou prince. She crossed her arms, "I think you gave her a pretty big chance."

Golden eyes stared wide at the letter… No, make that package. "Whoah," was all Inuyasha could get out as he picked it up, weighing it in his hand.

Kagome smirked, "Yeah, that's what I said too."

Inuyasha flicked the wax seal off and opened it to reveal the contents. He couldn't believe his eyes. "There's like, 20 pages in this thing!" he exclaimed, jaw dropping unbelievably.

The girl leaned over to check if he was right. "Umm… make that 25."

"I can't believe this," Inuyasha slouched in his chair, running his hand over his face, overwhelmed. "I definitely didn't write enough to get this much back."

"Maybe she wrote in large print?" Kagome guessed nervously.

Inuyasha pulled out the first page and glared at it as if willing it to self-combust. It was filled with small letters.

"Maybe not…"

The hanyou let out a sigh as he pushed the first page back into its packaging. "Can you get me the brush, ink, and paper on the desk?" Inuyasha requested, pointing a clawed finger to one of the corners of his bedroom.

Kagome complied without question, retrieving the items and setting them on the table near the chair. Surprisingly, Inuyasha got straight to work without a single protest… Why did that seem completely out of character?

The blue-eyed girl backed away as far as the bed, waiting for some kind of dismissal on Inuyasha's part. Nothing came. Was it just a given that she should leave right after completing her assignment? She could just come back later to pick it up so there was really no point in her staying there.

"Well, it looks like you'll be working on that for a while, so I'll come back to pick it up tomorrow." She made her way to the door, feeling a faint trace of disappointment for her curiosity.

"Nah, I'll be done with this by tonight." Inuyasha called back, making the girl stop in her tracks. "Just stay here until I'm done." He commanded as he skimmed the next page of the letter.

"Are you sure?" Her hand hesitated right above the door knob, ready to grab it at any moment.

"Yeah."

"Positive?"

"Yup."

"…Really?"

"Will you just sit down!" He barked impatiently, "I'll be done in a minute."

Kagome sighed, knowing that it was impossible to reply to a letter that had been worked on for two days. She decided not to protest though, she would much rather take a break than work on the cleaning chores. Hesitantly, she walked over to the large bed and sat herself on the edge, waiting for the mostly likely long reply.

She took the time to examine the patterns on the bed spread, tracing the stitches embedded into the fabric. Different shades of blue and white entwined together in a graceful spiral that seemed to depict something out of a dream. There was something that bugged her about it though; something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

A grunt from the hanyou's direction distracted her from her scrutiny.

She rolled her eyes at Inuyasha's frustrating efforts as he scribbled down his replies on the blank sheet of paper, but her attention was caught by something else. Why it had, she didn't know since she had been seeing it everyday since she arrived.

The snow looked as cold as ever through the window. The cloudy sky was grayer than usual as it poured down its cold tears upon them. How anyone could have survived traveling through that, she had no idea.

It was times like these that she always wondered how she had made it through that snow storm to arrive in a place like this. Any normal human definitely would have died if they were to trek out there as far as she had.

That was when something else struck her as odd.

"Hey, Inuyasha." She called out to him as she leaned back against her arms on the bed.

"What?" barked the hanyou.

"It's impossible for a human to get passed the snow storm right?" she ventured as her eyes scrutinized the heavy snow fall.

"Yup."

Now that that was confirmed, that made her even more confused. "So how did Sumiko get here?"

Inuyasha tore his eyes away from his words on the paper and looked back at her. Setting his ink brush down, he scrutinized her face. She looked confused. "No one's told you yet?"

Kagome tilted her head to the side questioningly, "Told me what?"

He sighed, "I guess not." He answered his own question as he turned his chair around so it would face her. Kagome blinked at him as he sat back down once he was situated.

"Have you heard about Kaede?" he asked her, leaning forward against his knees.

Kagome took the time to think about it. "No, who's that?"

"She's the local miko and medicine lady around here." He informed getting nods of acknowledgement from the girl. "Actually she was the one who made your medicine when you were still sick."

The girl blinked. "Really?" Inuyasha nodded. "Then I need to thank her. Where can I find her?"

"First floor, down the hall across from the kitchen, but that's not the point." He tried to get things back on track. "Kaede knows some special technique that can allow her to transport people to and from the castle."

"Oh, so she transferred Sumiko from her home to here?"

The hanyou nodded.

"Out of the blue?" she questioned.

"Of course not out of nowhere!" he exclaimed, "Then we would be charged with kidnapping. Kaede has some other way to communicate with people from the outside world. So she asks them first and then brings them here."

"I see," Kagome nodded her head, understanding the information pretty well. "So when is Sumiko going back?" she asked curiously.

"There's a problem about that." Inuyasha looked slightly concerned. "You see, Kaede's getting really old and weak now so when she brought Sumiko here it took a lot out of her. Right now, she's sick so we're not sure when she'll be able to send the girl home."

"I see," Kagome replied again, nodding her head slowly this time, understanding completely.

Inuyasha turned back around to his letter, scribbled another sentence down and folded it. "It's done," he announced as if it were nothing big and held the note out for her.

Kagome practically slipped off the bed as she plopped down onto the polished, wooden floor. "Huh?" she squeaked.

"The reply, it's finished."

She stared at him disbelievingly. "How could you be done already?" She shot up to her feet and pointed at the stack of papers accusingly. "That thing had at least 20 pages in it!"

Inuyasha put a hand to the back of his neck and gave the stack a side-long glance. "Yeah," he drawled. "I got tired so I replied to the first three pages."

Kagome's surprised expression slid off her face like water as she blankly narrowed her eyes at the hanyou. She shouldn't have been so surprised. "I should have known," she muttered and snatched the note out of his hands.

He smirked back at her as she spun around and marched herself out the door. When she was gone he cast his eyes back to the snowy scene before him; its never ceasing gray and white mix continued to weave in and out of each other as the icy winds plowed itself through the air.

Golden eyes fell closed as a slight wave of drowsiness overcame him. And yet, in the back of his mind there was one notion that made him smile.

_'That went pretty well…'_

:-:-:

"Miroku!" Sango waved her hand frantically as she raced down the hall to meet up with her companion.

At the sound of his name, the man stopped. "Hi Sango," he smiled and waved lightly at her rushing form. He hadn't seen her all day. "What's up?"

Sango slowed down to a walk when she neared him. "Not a lot," she answered happily. This was the closest thing to a break she could get today. The queen had her running all over the place today for some reason that she couldn't figure out. "I've been really busy today," she sighed and looked at the boy. "You don't look like you've been doing anything," her eyes scanned him over; he didn't look at all tired today.

"Actually, I haven't," he answered bluntly, a grin playing on his face.

Sango stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms over her chest. Magenta eyes narrowed at her friend suspiciously as he continued to walk ahead of her. "And why not?" she demanded.

The boy crossed his arms behind his head and spun around to beam at her. "Turns out Inuyasha doesn't want me anywhere near him today." Miroku breathed in a relaxing sigh and resumed his traveling. "So that leaves me with absolutely nothing to do."

"Uh-huh…" Sango replied, still unsure whether to believe it or not but decided to set it aside for now. "By the way," she started as they turned the corner. "Do you know where Kagome is? She was supposed to help me make Kaede's medicine today but she never showed up."

Miroku blinked at his friend and put a finger to his chin as his eyes searched the high ceiling in thought. "I believe she was delivering another letter to our dear prince." He answered, sarcastically emphasizing "dear prince".

"Again?" Sango eyes widened in surprise, "Inuyasha actually answered _another_ letter from Sumiko?" Her voice began to climb in shock. "That's the sixth letter so far!"

"Strange isn't it?" Miroku nodded to himself as he agreed. "This is the first time Inuyasha's shown any interest in a girl."

A small smile played out on Sango's lips. "Maybe he finally found someone he liked." She thought about it. Inuyasha had always been like a brother to her and Miroku; all of them had been friends ever since they were little. She couldn't help but feel happy for him. It was about time Inuyasha matured and found some kind of interest in a girl.

"Maybe," the short haired boy agreed.

"I just hope that he realizes that Sumiko isn't the best person ever and that there's probably a better girl out there for him." A sigh escaped her as she recalled the stories Kagome had relayed to her in the past few days. They weren't pleasant, that was for sure.

Miroku feigned a sniffle as he wiped away imaginary tears from his eyes. "Our little prince is growing up."

A giggle echoed from the girl beside him which resulted in a smile on his part…

Only for it to slip off suddenly when Sango remembered something important.

The girl stationed herself directly in front of him, cutting him off from his walk. Her dark magenta eyes narrowed upon him as she placed her hands on her hips. "You said you haven't done anything today, right?"

Miroku could only blink at her, confused. "Ummm… Yes?" he guessed, hoping he guessed correctly.

"Absolutely nothing?" she ventured again.

The boy backed up as the girl leaned forward, trying to stare him into answering properly. "I'm pretty sure," he scratched at his head nervously.

"Okay…" Sango folded her arms and stood back, her glare intensifying. "So where's my apple that you promised me?" A finger tapped against her arm expectantly.

Miroku automatically paled. "I think I hear Inuyasha calling me!" he blurted out and turned on his heal, getting ready to run.

"Oh no you don't!" Sango grabbed his wrist and pulled him back towards her. The boy ended up on the ground as his friend held his hand with a vice grip.

Dark eyes hesitantly met with flaming purple ones as a sense of panic overcame him. The girl dragged him across the floor, not caring if he was up on his feet or not.

Miroku couldn't help but wonder how Sango could manage to pull him across the carpeted floor, but instantly pushed the idea to instead get up on his feet. "Where are you taking me?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"The basement," Sango replied sternly. "And you are not leaving until you get my apple." They had made a bet and she was going to make sure that he kept up his side of the deal.

:-:-:

She didn't know if it was approved of her to do so, but Kagome couldn't help it when she was presented with such a comfy looking bed. Both Sumiko and Shippou had her running all over the castle doing favors for them today which, needless to say, wore her out. So by the time Sumiko had handed her that letter, she had raced off down the hall to its destination, knowing full well that Inuyasha didn't seem to mind her company.

At least from what she could tell, judging from the last few days that they've been doing this.

And while he was busy writing more responses to his princess, she was free to sit on his big, comfy bed. Today, she had finally gathered enough gall to actually lay on it this time. When she had sat down on the edge, her body automatically dropped backwards, thankful for the chance to rest.

"Tired?" the hanyou asked, looking behind him to survey just how exhausted she was.

"Yeah," she replied with a smile on her face. "Sumiko had me clean out her room today because she claimed that it smelled like mold." Kagome rolled her eyes at that prospect; she thought the princess was just finding an excuse to use her servant. "And Shippou made me help him steal more pocky from the kitchen." She let out a sigh as memories of their struggle replayed in her mind.

She couldn't even count how many times they were almost caught by the chef.

Inuyasha snickered, trying to imagine them sneaking out the door with a jar of pocky in hand. "Have fun?"

"Hmm…" Kagome contemplated for a bit, staring up at the high, stone ceiling above her, "Yeah, I guess." A small smile escaped her, "It was a lot more exciting than cleaning out linens."

"I'd hope so," he muttered under his breath as he scribbled down another sentence.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed as she sat up on the bed. "I checked out that closet you were telling me about last night."

"Uh-huh…" he drawled as he scribbled another useless sentence onto the piece of paper.

This was the price of wanting to find out what was bugging him about the name "Kagome". He didn't know if he could stand reading another stupid letter sent by that princess, much less sending her another one. He scratched at his head with a clawed finger. The only reason he was forcing himself to do this was to find out more about Kagome… right?

He glared determinedly out the window and into the snow. It was now or never.

"Hey, Kagome," he set down the ink brush on the side of the ink tray, disrupting her rant on what she had found inside that particular closet.

She blinked at him, her eyes meeting his golden ones. "Yes?" she asked patiently.

He suddenly felt heat rise up in his cheeks when those blue eyes of her stared back at him, but shoved it away as soon as he noticed. "I was wondering," he started, eyes ripping away from hers to find something else in the room to hold his attention. "Have you remembered anything at all from your past?" He questioned, dully noticing that Kagome was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Huh?" Kagome blinked at him, confused. "What brought this up?" she asked curiously.

"I was just wondering."

The girl in question put a finger to her chin, trying to recall any sudden recollections she had experienced since she had arrived. "No, I haven't." she answered in a matter-of-fact way.

"Nothing other than your name?" he dug deeper, persistent in getting resolution to his dull uneasiness.

"Ummm… Oh!" Kagome suddenly broke out. "I remember Sango and Miroku telling me that I was singing on my way here."

"Singing?" an eyebrow rose in confusion.

"Yup," she nodded, "They said I was singing some song that they've never heard of before, but I'm not really sure if I-"

"Sing it," Inuyasha interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you remember the words to the song?" he asked, wondering if that had left her along with the rest of her memory.

Kagome blinked for a second, trying to figure out where this conversation was going. "Vaguely, why?"

Inuyasha sucked in a breath, his hopes reaching higher, feeling so close to some kind of resolution to his confusion. This song would be the best thing he had at the moment. "Can you sing it?"

The girl on the bed blushed. "Even though Miroku and Sango said I was singing, I honestly don't think I can sing that well." She argued, embarrassment creeping upon her face. "You don't want to hear my voice, trust me." She laughed it off, and tried to change the subject, but Inuyasha was just too fast for her.

"Just sing it," he commanded.

"But-"

"Now!" he barked at her, making her jump.

Kagome frowned, what was wrong with him? Was he really that desperate to get his ears shattered? As far as she knew, she had never sung before. Sure she remembered the tune and the words to the song she had been told about, but actually singing it was completely different.

"How about-"

"No," Inuyasha stared her down. "Sing. Now." He emphasized the last few words with a glare, causing shivers to run up Kagome's spine

She glared back at him. "Fine," she finally gave in, knowing that arguing with the prince would get her nowhere. "But don't blame me if you become deaf in the process."

Inuyasha watched as she straightened her posture on the edge of the bed, sucking in a breath to prepare her lungs for her song. That was when his ears twitched and his eyes widened.

"_Kimi wo suki ni natte Dorekurai tatsu no kana?" (I'm falling in love with you, and which will come to pass?)_

The hanyou had no idea what Kagome was complaining about before she had started singing. Her voice was beautiful; she had nothing to be embarrassed about. He closed his eyes as his ears took pleasure in the soft, soothing sound of her voice.

"_Yuki no youni Tada shizukani" (Like snow, but quietly)_

'Hold me tight…'

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open as Kagome continued on with her song. A pain suddenly lodged itself against the side of his head as he continued to listen. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel as if he knew the words to the song.

"_Hold me tight… Konna omoi nara" (Hold me tight if I think like this)_

'Dareka wo suki-'

"_Dareka wo suki nu naru kimochi… Shiritaku nakatta yo" (I didn't want to know_

_What it was like to fall in love with someone)_

Now he knew for sure. He definitely knew the words to this song. In fact he could hear a little girl's voice echoing Kagome's voice in his head.

That was when the pain intensified.

"Ugh!" Inuyasha cried out as he doubled over in pain. A swelling ache surfaced just beside his ears as mind-numbing agony overtook him. His hands clutched at his head in a physical effort to push the strain away.

It didn't work.

He twitched his ears as the tune grew in volume by the second, ringing in his ears and echoing in his mind. Dizziness hit him like a brick as the young girl's voice haunted him, a vision of lips moving to the words entered his mind.

That imaginary brick suddenly whacked him over the head again as another wave round of pain washed over him. If he were to describe his feelings in one word it would definitely be "bone smashing."

"Inuyasha!" he heard Kagome's voice call out to him as his grip on his head tightened. One golden orb peaked out from behind his eyelid to see her jump off the bed and rush over to him, worry etched on her face. "Inuyasha! Are you okay?" her voice rising in panic as she grabbed his shoulders.

He closed his eyes in confusion and pain. She had ceased her singing, but the song had yet to end in his head.

Was he going insane?

He felt her small hands wrap around his shoulders as she pulled him up off the chair. He complied without protest and allowed her to lead him to the bed, feeling the pain increasing as the song continued.

It must have been really bad, for he couldn't even recall the moment when his body had hit the surface of the mattress.

He opened his eyes hesitantly as he flipped himself over to lie on his back. Kagome, still standing by his side, cast a worried glance toward him and headed towards the door. "Just stay here," she commanded as she flung the door open. "I'll go get Kaede; I'll be right back!" she informed him quickly as she disappeared into the hallway in a flash.

The moment she was gone was when the small girl's voice quieted and eventually stopped singing. The pain subsided along with it.

His eyelids drooped as he panted from the pain he had been experiencing just seconds before. He didn't know if he should call out to tell her that he was okay now, but his body refused to move as he dully noted that she had left the door open.

Normally, the first thing he would've done would be to get up and shut it, but that thought instantly flew from his mind. His body was exhausted and he didn't know why. He kept telling himself that he should wait for Kagome to come back; so that he could tell her that he was alright.

The worry on her face was something that he didn't want to be blamed for.

He laid there, staring up at the gray, stone ceiling above him. A clawed hand tiredly reached up to feel is forehead; he had been sweating. Golden eyes blinked in confusion at his current state. What had just happened to him?

Kagome would be coming back soon with help. And what exactly was he supposed to say when help arrived? That he had fainted because he heard a song that he couldn't help but admit sounded beautiful and that when the wielder of that song left he had suddenly gotten better.

No, he couldn't say that. That would lead people to believe that Kagome had harmed him and would lead to the immediate expulsion of her presence.

And he definitely didn't want that. Oh no, not with her name still bugging him at the back of his mind.

He willed himself to stay awake, to come up with some sort of explanation or excuse… But his world suddenly went black.

:-:-:-:-:-:

AN: Oooh, I wonder what happened to Inuyasha. Actually, I don't have to wonder, because I already know! Ha!... Sorry, that was mean.

I hope you guys liked this chapter! I made it two pages longer as an apology for my lack of updates. If you want an explanation there's a note at the bottom of my profile that says why I haven't been writing for a while. And because I haven't been writing for a while, I would expect that my writing knack has declined as well. I'm sooo sorry about that. I have a feeling I really REALLY rushed this chapter a lot more than I usually do. But if I had added anything else before the last part of the chapter it would have lagged. Please tell me what you think about it. If you think it was rushed, just tell me and I'll try to find a way to fix it.

R&R as usual!


	8. Visions of the Past

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 8**_

_**Visions of the Past**_

_:-:-:_

It was probably the coldest day he had ever experienced in his life. But he had been looking forward to it for months.

The young prince Inuyasha clutched at his father's pelt as he rested against his back. They had been running through the snow for hours and yet there was no sign of them reaching the border where the snow stopped.

Curled up against the warm, white fur, Inuyasha peaked over his shoulder to see how far they were. He looked back; the castle was gone. He looked forward; the expected horizon was still blocked by the heavy snow.

A shiver ran up the hanyou's back as another gust of wind attacked him. He thought he looked pathetic based on the way he was acting. He was crippled because of extreme temperatures, a youkai shouldn't be that weak as to yield to weather. At the time he would have thought his half-brother would have ridiculed him.

Small, golden eyes stole a peak at the other inu-youkai running beside him and his dad, Sesshoumaru. He was much older than Inuyasha which didn't help with any potential brotherly relationships. The older boy simply stared and ran ahead, not even acknowledging his younger brother's troubles.

Another gust of wind swept down upon them and again Inuyasha was the only one to react to it.

"Are you okay?" his father asked.

Inuyasha blinked at him and schooled himself, acting strong and invincible as his other family members were.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Inuyasha declared loudly. Sesshoumaru subconsciously rolled his eyes. "How much further?" the hanyou asked when more snowflakes bombarded his face.

"We're almost there," he replied, dashing faster when Inuyasha's shivering became more erratic. Sesshoumaru immediately adapted to his fathers pace.

Inuyasha's eyes reluctantly shut from the exhaustion and the biting cold of ice against his skin. One minute it was like being trapped in a block of ice, but then it started to get warmer, and warmer, and warmer.

He had heard lots of stories that spoke of people freezing to death in the snow. And every time he heard about it they always said that a warm sensation would engulf them right before death.

Was he dying?

The small boy reluctantly pried his eyes open, absorbing the scenery around him.

The scenery was what woke him out of his stupor.

"Eh-?" he exclaimed as his eyes grew wide, his head turning from side to side.

There was no more white snow around them, nor were they grey clouds up in the sky.

A gentle darkness blanketed the earth as the sky above them radiated a ray of lunar light. He looked up into the serene darkness; the stars he had heard so much about twinkled back at him from afar. This was the first time he had seen them.

At the sound of his son's awakening, the king smiled back at Inuyasha. "We're here." He announced as an amused smile stretched on his lips due to Inuyasha's obvious surprise.

"Not there yet…" Sesshoumaru grumbled beside them.

"Well, not there as in _there_, but we're out of the snow." The king reasoned as his eldest son shook his head.

"How much farther is the castle?"

"It shouldn't be much farther, about 20 more minutes."

20 minutes huh? A yawn escaped Inuyasha as pearls of moisture formed behind his eyes. The trek through the snow had worn him out at the age of 7. They had been invited to a party at another kingdom and he had gone in order to represent his mother since she wouldn't have been able to make it through.

He wondered what it would be like at another kingdom that wasn't bombarded with snow and ice. His dreams continued to muse the possibilities as his eyes drifted close with the spell of sleep.

:-:-:

"_Yuki no youni_

_Tada Shizukani_

_Furi…"_

Inuyasha's ear twitched as he heard the soft sound of a girl's voice, but he made no move to wake up.

"_Tsumori… Tsuzukete yuku."_

A smile planted itself on his lips as his eyelids cleared slowly slid open. It was only then that he realized he was lying down on a concrete bench just outside the castle, no longer on the strong back of his father. He had awoken to the beauty of the clear night sky, the twinkle of the stars, and the eerie glow of the moon: things that he had never seen before at home.

… At home…

He couldn't wait to tell Sango and Miroku about it… On second thought, he definitely could wait. If he were to rush back home to tell them, who knew when the next time he could see the sky could be. He didn't want to waste that precious time.

"_Hold me tight… Konna omoi nara…"_

Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts when he became quite aware of the voice that continued to sing the song he thought he had been imagining. He pushed himself to sit up and looked around.

That was when he spotted her.

A girl not far off from his age sat on the ground as she relaxed herself against the cold bench he sat upon. He was looking straight down at her dark, raven-black hair. He couldn't see anything other than that.

"Hey!" he barked to get her attention.

The girl jumped with a squeak that interrupted her song, a flush of red covered her face. She instantly looked up at him; blue eyes meeting his golden ones.

"Ummm…" her blush increased as she stammered for something to say. "Sorry I woke you up," she shot up on her feet and gave an apologetic bow.

Inuyasha looked surprised for the suddenness of it all and replied, "It's okay," he gave a slight smile that he thought would calm her down. It did. "You have a nice voice," he stated without thinking.

The blush on the girl's face got brighter. She scratched at her temple nervously as she pinned her eyes on the ground. "Thanks…"

The hanyou blinked at her as a warm gust of wind swept between the two of them, moving both their clothes and hair around. It was only then that he speculated her. She looked like a servant of the castle. She was wearing a plain looking yukata for the warm weather and her hair was a dark, raven color left to fall around her shoulders. Overall, she was a pretty plain-looking girl.

And yet, she still caught his interest; especially her eyes.

"Oh," she squeaked again, remembering something. "Your father said that when you wake up you should find him inside," she pointed towards French doors stationed at the far end of the dust sidewalk which led to the ballroom.

"Umm… okay," Inuyasha muttered back to her as he hopped off the bench. "Thanks," he added before leaving her behind in the dark night. If he had taken one last look at her he would have seen her waving at him.

He trotted down the light path, pushed one of the doors just enough for him to pass, and entered the extravagant ballroom. His eyes grew in amazement at the sight. The ballroom in Kouriya was nothing like this.

The walls were made of white marble as opposed to the cold, stone walls at home. He spotted the king and queen seated. His eyes surveyed the ocean of noble guests adorned in exquisite kimonos socializing, some taking notice of his entrance.

Some of their stares even stayed on him longer than he thought was necessary.

He looked down at himself. Maybe his small, red haori contrasted too much with the others? Brushing away the notion quickly, he went in search of his father. Looking from side to side he judged his surroundings; based on the people around him most of them were human. It shouldn't be too hard to find his dad.

It didn't take long to find him like as he spied of a shock of silver hair among the crowd of black haired people.

"Dad!"

The large, white-haired man looked away from his companion and spotted his son with a smile. Inuyasha was almost there when he spotted the person his father had been talking to; he was glaring at him.

He stopped in his tracks. The man his father had been speaking to was definitely glaring at him and he refused to cease his staring even when the hanyou noticed. That's when he noticed all the other eyes narrowed on him.

Each way he looked he could see another pair of eyes glaring at him. He twitched his ears and heard many mutterings behind his back.

"He's a hanyou, isn't he?"

"Why would the king and queen invite a hanyou to such an event?"

"Is he really a prince? Such a shame their kingdom will fall to ruins… After all, what good can a hanyou do?"

Small, golden eyes widened in surprise as he heard overheard the many murmurs resembling each other.

He vaguely noted the way his dad waved at him with a smile. He managed wave back, but turned around and dashed towards the door, exiting through the glass doors and into the warm fresh air.

His body shook as he heaved in a breath of air. Thoughts of the words he had just heard ran through his head. Was being a hanyou really so bad? Why were they worthless as one of them had implied?

Was it because he was different? Was that why he had received so many glares when he entered the room? He had never been treated like that in Kouriya.

Was this what the outside world was like?

One thing was for sure: it was nothing like home.

"_Hold me tight Konna omoi nara…"_

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he blinked into the darkness ahead of him. His eyes settled on the concrete bench, the girl he had woken up to sat on top of it, staring up at the twinkling stars as she sang that haunting tune.

"_Dareka wo suki ni naru kimochi…"_

He walked towards her cautiously, trying not to disturb her sense of peace. But she was too perceptive for him.

She ended her song as she ripped her eyes away from the diamond sky, a smile on her face as she turned her blue eyes upon the hanyou. The trees in the forest behind her rustled softly as another warm breeze cradled her and flowed to him. He sniffed the air subconsciously and caught the faint smell of jasmine.

Was that her scent?

A twinkle in her eye sparkled as she spoke, "Got bored?" she asked, swinging her legs back and forth.

The thoughts Inuyasha had been pondering just moments before flew from his head as he walked over to her and sat down beside her. This girl seemed nice enough; what was the harm of spending some time with her?

Besides, she was the only one who seemed to welcome him.

"Yeah, pretty much," he answer nonchalantly, leaning back on his arms as he gazed up at the night sky. "So this is what stars look like…" he muttered under his breath.

"You've never seen stars before?" the girl asked, wide-eyed.

He shook his head. "Where I come from, all I see are clouds and snow."

"Really?" she looked from him to the sky and let her eyes linger there. "I've never seen the snow," she admitted,

He looked bewildered at her, "You don't ever _want_ to see the snow, trust me."

"But I've heard so much about it," she argued and stared back at him, "It hasn't snowed here in years!" she complained as she threw her hands up in the air.

The hanyou shook his head at the girl, picturing the girl in Kouriya where snow was everywhere. He laughed by himself when he pictured her getting pelted with a pile of snow like he had earlier. But when he was done amusing himself he found that the girl was staring at him rather oddly.

The girl… She had to have had a name. He couldn't just keep labeling her

'The girl.'

"I'm Inuyasha," he introduced himself, hoping to receive her name in return.

"Nice to meet you," she beamed at him, "I'm K-" she halted herself from pronouncing the rest of her name, her eyebrows drawing together in worry. She cast her eyes down to the ground in thought.

That's when he realized that wasn't exactly the best move to make. It probably wasn't a good idea to give away his name to someone he didn't even know.

"Kagome," she finished, she held out her hand. "My name is Kagome," she introduced herself as he took her hand and shook it.

Inuyasha was about to say something else when he was interrupted. "And now since you know my name, you now have to know the location of my secret base." A full-out grin emerged on her face as she spied the curiosity on her new friend's face.

"Secret base?" he repeated.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand, tugging him off his seat and into the forest. "It's really cool; I just discovered it the other day."

And with that, she led him into the dimly lit woods.

:-:-:

"So what happened next?" Kagome asked as she evaded another bush, taking Inuyasha's hand in hers to lead him in the right direction.

"Well, that was when Miroku and I snuck outside and hid in the snow. They forgot after a few hours so we went back inside. But…" he paused and chuckled, "we got sick for a week."

Kagome laughed hearitly, "It serves you right if you had a food fight in the kitchen."

"Well, _I _think it was worth it since there's absolutely nothing else to do at home."

Kagome shook her head as she let go of his clawed hand in order to search around the clearing they had encountered. It didn't take long until she realized that they had already been through this area that night.

She wasn't the only one who noticed. "Are you sure it's this way?" Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow as his golden eyes surveyed the area. It felt like they had been wandering around for hours.

"I'm pretty sure," Kagome answered as she pushed passed another bush.

"Pretty sure?" he blurted out impatiently. "I thought you said you knew the way!"

She looked behind herself to face him, "I said I found it the other day, as in during the day, when there's sun." She defended proudly.

"Keh!" Inuyasha folded his arms as he blindly followed her deeper and deeper into the forest. The dense shrubbery was starting to get so bothersome that almost every step he took led to him tripping and the dense cover of the trees didn't help either as they blocked out the already dim moonlight.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called as she stepped into complete darkness. "Where are you?" she called out, having lost sight of him and her surroundings.

"I'm coming! Just keep talking so I can get to you," he called back to her as he worked his way through the bushes, following her voice closely to pinpoint her location.

"_Hold me tight konna omoi nara…"_

His ears twitched as the soothing sound wove itself through the air to reach him. It was a comforting song that he couldn't help but think was familiar.

A smile emerged on his lips when he remembered her singing it so peacefully when he first saw her. There was something about her…

"_Dareka wo suki ni naru kimochi shiritakunakatta yo…"_

He knew he was almost there when he sniffed the distinct scent of jasmine in the air, she was definitely close. He figured once he found her he would lead them both back to the castle. They couldn't judge how late it was since the moon was blocked out, it was more than likely that people were looking for them.

Or more like looking for him. Based on the attitudes of the adults he had seen, they didn't seem like the type of people who would be too worried about a servant girl if they looked down on a prince who just happened to be hanyou.

"INUYASHA!" she called out frantically. He immediately caught the sound of skidding dirt. She was falling.

He moved faster now, dashing to her location. Each step he took resulted in scrapes and splinters on his bare feet, but he didn't care, his friend was in trouble. The next step he took was one of the last things he remembered. When he planted his foot against the ground it met nothing but air and pulled his weight towards the steep incline.

He could feel himself falling, his body scraping against the cold, dry ground until suddenly his world went blank.

:-:-:

"Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed as he bolted upright in his bed, the blankets that had been tucked around him fell off of him as he heaved heavy breaths. A clawed hand went to his forehead; he had been sweating. It carefully inched upward to touch a tender spot that had been throbbing right under his ear.

The images he had just witnessed in his slumber came tumbling back like a waterfall; causing the pain against his skull to increase even more.

What was that? Was it a dream?

He knew in the back of his mind that the answer was no. It wasn't just a dream. It had really happened. All of it was true. It was only now that he remembered every detail of that day so clearly. The trip to the kingdom, the way the adults had shunned him because he was a hanyou, and Kagome…

How had he forgotten Kagome?

Inuyasha flopped back against his pillow to mull over the question longer but was interrupted by a certain servant/friend.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku barged in through the door, slamming it against the wall in his wake.

The hanyou narrowed his eyes at the ceiling in annoyance. Only Miroku would violently kick the door down when he was very much capable of twisting the unlocked doorknob.

"Are you okay?" Miroku paced over to the bed to inspect his friend. "Kagome said you fainted from a headache."

The hanyou glared at the pony-tailed boy. "Who the heck would faint from a headache, moron?" he barked at him. For some reason, that caused a sense of relief on Miroku's part. "Ugh," he groaned as he rubbed his aching head, "What time is it?"

"Hmmm…" Miroku wondered, eyes searching the room in wonder, "About 8 o'clock," he guessed.

The hanyou sat up again and rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes. Why was he so exhausted?

…Oh yeah… he _did _faint… and from a song too… Wow, he was pathetic. But Miroku didn't need to know that.

His friend let out a sigh, "It's good to see you're back to normal." He smiled nervously as he set his load of towels down on the edge of the bed. Dragging one of the seats positioned near the door over to the bed, he flopped himself in it as a smirk grew on his face. He stared at the bed-ridden hanyou which elicited a golden-eyed glare. "So," he started, "I hear you had a pretty good dream last night."

Inuyasha looked confused, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"Umm, no I don't."

"C'mon Inuyasha! You can't be that dense." Miroku stood up from his seat and went to work at putting the towels away. And yet he still continued to talk. "You practically screamed Kagome's name out to the world when you woke up. Can we say 'naughty dream'?"

Inuyasha's face drew a scowl. Why was he not surprised? "Can we say 'dead friend'?" he shot back.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Miroku help his hands up in defense. "You're just going to have to explain to everyone on this floor why you screamed her name out so loud." He held in a chuckle as he kept another sheet in the cupboard he had opened. "Especially to Sumiko," he added under his breath, quietly enough so that Inuyasha didn't hear.

Inuyasha ignored his friend's musings and went back to his own thoughts on that dream. Kagome would want to know about this, wouldn't she? They finally had a lead about her home and could send her back if she wanted.

Something squeezed in his chest on the thought of her returning to her home. But he shook it off immediately. Why should he care if she decided to return home or not? It was her decision… not his.

Whatever Miroku had been rambling about, Inuyasha hadn't been paying attention and instead interrupted his friend's talk.

"Where's Kagome?"

The other boy peaked out from behind the cupboard door that was blocking his view of Inuyasha. A smirk grew on his face and he opened his mouth to comment about that supposed dream he had.

"Shut up, just tell me where she is." Inuyasha demanded, intercepting Miroku's plot before he had time to execute it.

Miroku mentally snapped his fingers in his head. "Last time I heard she was in Kaede's room."

Inuyasha frowned in question. "What's she doing down there?"

The other boy opened his mouth to shoot another comment his way, wondering why Inuyasha hadn't heard yet, until he remembered Inuyasha had been asleep during last night's commotion. A small laugh escaped him, "You sure did miss a lot last night," he shook his head, the worry on his face betraying his attempted calmness.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, while you were unconscious because of your headache," Miroku quickly dodged a pillow that was thrown his way and continued, "Kagome went to her for help because of your condition." The boy looked down at the floor sadly, silently pushing the last towel in the dresser. "But, Kaede was collapsed on the ground when she found her."

Inuyasha's eyes grew wide.

"I think she's dying," Miroku added sadly.

On impulse, Inuyasha jumped out of bed, pulled on his fire-rat haori, and left the room with Miroku trailing behind out of concern.

:-:-:

"How long is she going to be sick?" Sumiko's enraged voice echoed down the hall from the room she occupied with Kagome, Sango, the young kitsune, and the ill nurse.

"Lady Sumiko," Sango started, aiming to calm the woman down before Kaede's fragile condition got any worse, "please try to calm down for now. If Kaede's condition gets any worse there won't be any chance for your return home." She reasoned, hoping Sumiko understood.

She did, thankfully, as she sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, keeping her panic in check. It was not lady-like to act in such a way. "I'm sorry," she apologized as a hand went to her temple in frustration. She took as step back, attempting to calm herself as she leaned against the wall.

Kagome, who had been preparing the medicine Kaede pointed out in one of her books, sighed quietly to herself. She had been up all night tending to Kaede's sickness, but she wasn't complaining, she was worried. Extremely worried. The old nurse was running a high fever that only seemed to be getting hotter, and every other remedy that Kaede suggested had yet to show any progress from her condition.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Kagome looked over to the green-eyed kitsune sitting on the desk she was working at. His face was covered in worry as he stared mournfully at the sleeping miko.

"She will be," Kagome smiled to reassure him, although on the inside her hope for the situation was starting to run thin. Mixing in the last herb needed for the medicine, she stood from her seat, walked across the room over to the bed, and kneeled down next to the lady she was tending to.

"Kaede-san," she called out as she shook the elder gently. "Your medicine is ready."

Kaede, having not been in such a deep state of sleep due to Sumiko's earlier commotion, woke up instantly. Her eyes wearily wandered over to the raven-haired girl. "Thank you, Kagome," she struggled to sit up and took the cup in her hands.

Kagome looked her over carefully. She was even weaker than when she found her on the floor.

She nearly jumped when the door suddenly slammed open in order to allow the two men inside. "Kaede!" barked a very loud inu-hanyou who was followed by the pony-tailed man who was helping her earlier.

Kagome quickly shot a glare at the boy who was making such a racket, but he paid no attention to it.

"What happened to you?" he demanded as he stomped over to her side of the bed, standing next to the kneeling Kagome.

Kaede shook her head, "You never will learn the art of patience will you?" She joked but was interrupted by a coughing fit.

The others jumped with worry but stopped their small panic when Inuyasha made no move. "This is no time for jokes hag," he cast a serious gaze upon her. The old woman caught his shift in attitude from impatience to concern; an emotion she had rarely seen Inuyasha display in front of others.

A sigh escaped her. "So I see," she commented as she took a sip of her medicine and then set it back down. "Very well, I'll explain the situation." She stated but cast a side-long glance towards the princess who was trying to keep herself together against the wall. "Just try not to make too much noise."

The inhabitants of the room nodded in agreement.

Kaede held out the tea cup in her hands in order for Kagome to take away. "It seems that my power has been steadily depleting since a few weeks ago when I brought Lady Sumiko here."

Kagome stole a glance at the princess in the room. It looked like she was trying her best to hold back tears. Of anger or sadness, she didn't think she'd ever know.

"And because of my weakening powers, it appears to be having a direct effect on my body."

The room stayed silent.

"I don't think I'll be staying here for much longer."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted.

That's when chaos ensued. "What do you mean?" Sumiko screeched in panic, knocking over a candle which was quickly extinguished by the swift kitsune. "Are you saying I won't be able to go home?" The tears that Kagome had spotted finally slid down her cheeks in rivers.

Sumiko looked so pitiful as she broke down on the floor, her face in her hands. Sango followed her as she kneeled down beside her, stroking her back in comfort. Kagome couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She had a feeling she would have felt the same way if she remembered what _her_ home was like.

"I can't just stay here and never see my family again," she sobbed, sitting against the cream colored wall near the door. The several candles stationed around the room glowed, unaware of the sorrow she was feeling, as if they were mocking her.

Kaede, who should have been the most effected by her impending death, surprisingly didn't seem at all worried. It was as if she wasn't concerned about her life, or at least the situation. It was especially so when a wrinkled smile stretched on her lips.

"Don't worry child," she tried to soothe the princess. "It will be alright."

"How can it be alright?" She screamed and looked up from her hands, her face a wet mess. "How can you _possibly_ say it's alright when I'll never be able to see my family again?"

"You _will_ see your family again," Kaede stated calmly. "I promise you."

Now Kagome was confused. How could Kaede promise such a thing when she had just stated herself that her powers were deteriorating? As far as she and everyone else knew, Kaede was the only one capable of bringing people in and out of the blockade of snow.

She chanced a look at both Miroku and Inuyasha, hoping to find some look of understanding. They looked just as equally confused.

"Kagome," Kaede looked up at the blue-eyed girl. Every other pair of eyes in the room shot to the girl in question. "Would you be able to bring Sumiko home?"

Kagome's eyes widened in confusion, "What?"

:-:-:

AN: Okay! It's done! I've been trying to find time to write out this chapter because I was sooooo excited to write it… And I have no idea why since it didn't really turn out the way I wanted it to. I altered a few plot details because I thought it would be better, but I honestly think it will just cause more hassle for me. Oh well, that will just make writing for this story more interesting.

And for the people who read my profile (as well as the people who don't), I left a little message concerning my patterns of update from now on so I suggest you guys read it.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it.

Oh yeah, and by the way, it doesn't hurt to review. )


	9. One Big, Confusing Mess

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 9**_

**_One Big, Confusing Mess_**

_**:-:-:**_

No matter how many times Kagome blinked she still saw the same scene in front of her. Why, oh, why did it turn out this way?

She buried her face in her hands as she leaned forward, far enough for her nose to touch the surface of the desk had she not been covering it. She chanced a quick peak from behind her fingers to check.

Yup, they were still there.

The blue-eyed girl slouched back against the chair she had been given, tired from the surprises she had encountered in the last week and the exhaustion it had caused her.

Here she was, in Inuyasha's luxurious room, surrounded by books. About what? Some miko stuff she could barely decipher. Kaede had told her that after a few days of reading she would be able to get the basic grasp of things, but she couldn't see how that could happen if she couldn't help but yawn every two words.

"Having fun?" Inuyasha asked from his side of the room, a smirk playing on his lips as he observed her suffering.

"Shut up," Kagome groaned as her hand slid over her face. "It's bad enough that I have to learn all of this stuff in less than two weeks. I don't need you to mock me about it."

"Well, I'm bored," Inuyasha reasoned, "You switched places with Miroku so I'm stuck talking to you," he reclined against his arm chair, facing the view of the falling snow, contemplating whether or not to relay his memories of her.

"Kagome," he called out.

"Not now, I'm busy," she automatically answered, flipping a page in the process. Inuyasha inspected her predicament; she did seem very busy at the moment. Now that he thought about it more clearly, if he told her now she would most likely be too distracted about it to focus on her goal.

A sigh escaped him as he steeled himself to withhold the information. Instead he folded his arms behind his head as he recounted the events that led up to this moment.

:-:-:

Kagome looked surprised… Probably even more surprised than he was. What exactly was Kaede talking about?

The girl's mouth made many attempts to speak which gave her the impression of a fish out of water until she finally found what she wanted to say. She trained her eyes on the old woman, confused, "What are you talking about Kaede?"

Now it was the old woman's turn to look confused. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Why did Kagome suddenly look so worried?

Kaede examined the girl closely from her bed, scrutinizing her face, trying to determine whether she was serious or not.

She was.

"I see," Kaede mumbled under her breath. "Maybe you haven't remembered that about yourself just yet."

"What are you talking about hag?" Inuyasha chimed in, impatient for some answers.

Kaede promptly ignored him, keeping her gaze upon the girl she was addressing. "Ever since Miroku and Sango brought you here, I've sensed a powerful miko aura resonating from someone in the castle. It didn't take me a long time to figure out who it was."

Kagome just continued to stare, letting the information she had just obtained sink in. When she had completely grasped the knowledge, her eyes grew wide and her jaw fell in surprise. "You're saying I'm a miko?" she pointed to herself in disbelief.

"Precisely," Kaede nodded.

Kagome blinked… and then blinked again while looking around the room. How long had everyone been staring at her in disbelief?

"But," Kagome started to protest, "I can't be a miko. I don't remember being one!"

"You don't remember being anything," Miroku pointed out.

"Hmmm…" Sango hummed to herself in thought, arms folded across her chest as she stared down at the ground. "That would explain why Kagome is familiar with most of the royal customs." All eyes went to Sango, waiting for her analysis. She looked up at them, "She was probably the working miko in another kingdom."

"Do you remember anything like that, Kagome?" Shippou asked out of curiosity.

She shook her head, "Not at all." Come to think of it, she hadn't made any progress concerning her memories.

"Kagome," a squeak from the corner where the cowering Sumiko sat brought her back to the problem at hand. "Could you bring me back?" she pleaded, her eyes still stained with the aftermath of her tears.

Despite all the complaining she had done about Sumiko, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. The princess probably felt trapped in a place like this, away from her family, away from everyone she grew up with. That had to feel horrible.

Her eyes searched the room nervously. Everyone stared at her, awaiting her reply.

One particular person who caught her eye was the prince. He stared at her with a certain look in his eye that she couldn't quite understand. Maybe he didn't want her to send Sumiko home? It would make sense, based on the letters that they had been exchanging for the past few days.

Nevertheless, this concerned the princess's feelings, not his. "I'll try my best," she nodded, a barely audible sigh escaping her as her mistress's face lit up.

A small smile stretched on the elder's face. "It's going to require a lot of studying, Kagome," Kaede added before a coughing fit racked her body. The other inhabitants of the room jumped, worriedly, but she shooed them away with the wave of her hand before continuing. "Do you think you can handle it?" She played with the prospect of adding 'before my time to help is gone,' but she had a feeling Kagome got the picture.

The blue-eyed girl stared from Shippou to Sumiko, her assignments. She was already having a hard time managing both of them at once; could she fit studying somewhere in her busy schedule?

Miroku, catching her expression and realizing her dilemma, interrupted her thoughts. "I have a proposal!"

"If it has anything to do with-"

"No, no, nothing like that," Miroku defended, waving his hands. "I was just going to suggest that Kagome and I switch places."

The whole room drew a look of confusion. "What?" they chorused.

"Well, think about it," Miroku started, gathering all of their attention. "Inuyasha practically takes care of himself nowadays which leaves me without a job. If she and I switch places she would have to work under Inuyasha instead, which would give her plenty of time to study." He smiled to himself, crossing his arms over his chest proudly.

Sango frowned at this. There was no way anyone could miss his ulterior motive.

Inuyasha was about to make a comment about Miroku just wanting to be around Sumiko more often when Kagome voiced her opinion.

Kagome nodded at the idea, "I think that would work out. Good idea, Miroku," she smiled at her friend across the room.

"No!" Shippou protested loudly. Inuyasha had to smash his ears against his skull to block out the scream of the kitsune. "I don't want Miroku to replace Kagome!" He latched on to Kagome's arm.

"Shippou," Kagome tried to quell the kitsune, his emerald eyes on the verge of tears. She stroked his hair and spoke gently, "I'll just be right down the hall," she tried to reason.

"So?" he cried, clutching her arm desperately.

"So," she continued, "I'll still be able to come visit you, tuck you in at night and all the stuff we usually do," she smiled at him.

He sniffled, watery eyes looking into hers. "Really?"

"Of course," she answered, "Miroku's just gonna be organizing your room from now on." She looked behind her to see Miroku nodding his agreement before whispering, "But he's going to have to help you steal the pocky from the kitchen from now on. Okay?"

Shippou stared at Kagome for a while, letting the idea digest. Now that he thought about it, having Miroku as his partner in crime in the kitchen might not be so bad. It might be fun getting him in trouble with the kitchen ladies.

"Alright," Shippou agreed meekly, fooling the others into thinking he wasn't planning anything.

"Good, so it's settled," Miroku smiled.

:-:-:

"Settled my butt," Kagome muttered bitterly under her breath, covering her eyes as she tilted her head back in exhaustion. There were way too many words in the book Kaede had given her that she couldn't comprehend. There were so many herbs, spiritual lingo, and incantations that she couldn't even imagine how she could learn all of this stuff before Kaede was long gone.

And her time available seemed to shrink even more as her condition worsened by the day.

A sigh escaped her, her arm slipping off of her face as she turned around to inspect the room she was in. Inuyasha had left a while ago to take care of whatever he had to do. He had allowed her to occupy the desk in his room since all the other quite areas in the castle were no longer as quiet as she hoped they would be.

Shippou's room _had_ been relatively quiet when she was taking care of it. But now that she and Miroku had switched places, Shippou found it quite funny to set traps in the room for the poor servant boy to find.

Sumiko's room was never quiet anymore which automatically crossed that location off her list.

The kitchen, dining room, and servant's quarters were all definite places for noise. She had originally wanted to reside in Kaede's room, but she was afraid of disturbing the time she had allotted her rest.

All that was left was Inuyasha's room.

Speaking of his room, it didn't look like his sheets had been changed for a while as they lay there, wrinkled and creased. Kagome sighed as she stood up and inspected the bed. Her job now was to take care of Inuyasha's needs; this would fall under that category wouldn't it?

She didn't know whether she should feel annoyed or thankful towards the mess before her. Annoyed because Miroku apparently hadn't been doing his job before the switch. Thankful because it would giver her a small break from studying those books silly.

She chose thankful as she ripped the offending sheets from the bed and set them in a pile near the door. She turned around, quickly surveying the room. No one was there. Maybe it was safe?

Taking a deep breath, she let herself go.

"_Yuki no youni… Tada shizukani…" _she sang as she worked through the room's linens.

Opening the door, she set off down the hallway to the closet across from Shippou's room; the place where she had always gotten the sheets for Sumiko and the kitsune's room.

"_Furi… Tsumori tsuzuketeyuku…"_

Sifting through the many pure white sheets in the closet, she noticed that they were all the same size. From what she could tell, Inuyasha's bed was definitely much bigger than that of Shippou or Sumiko's.

So where were the bigger sheets?

Halting in her verse, she looked around the hallway, closing the wooden door of the closet as it groaned. There didn't seem to be any other closets in the hallway. As far as she knew this closet was the only one in the hall.

That is, until she spied a door on the very opposite side of the hallway that she never noticed before.

Her blue eyes widened, confused. _'Since when was that there?' _she asked herself as she paced down the long hallway and stood before the great door.

It was located right beside Lady Izayoi's bedroom. Strange how she had never noticed it before, but that was probably because she never bothered to look for sheets suited to their beds. Based on the pattern of Shippou and Sumiko's bed sheet closet being located across the hall from them, the same probably applied to Inuyasha and his mother's.

The door was larger than the most of the normal doors she had seen around here, which was hard to believe since she thought those were pretty big in the first place. Without giving it another thought, she grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open.

There weren't any sheets inside, just a dark staircase that appeared to head downstairs.

She shut it on impulse, still in hot pursuit of those bed sheets.

She decided she would ask Sango about the door later.

:-:-:

Sango leaned against the kitchen counter as she watched Miroku set up the ingredients for Kaede's medicine. "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of Shippou and Sumiko right now?" she questioned, surveying the various herbs set out before her.

"Yeah, but it's almost time for Kaede's next dose and Kagome hasn't shown up yet." He replied as he set aside jar of dried ginger root along with the other ingredients. It was no surprise to Sango that he was familiar with this particular brew. Miroku had previously studied under Kaede in order to learn about various medicinal mixtures.

But knowledge about herbs and medicines did not replace the pure power of mikos, which explained why he couldn't be taking over Kagome's job at the moment.

"I feel sorry for poor Kagome up there," Miroku added as he threw together some of the ingredients in the bowl. "I might as well help her out a bit by preparing the stuff."

"Awww, how sweet of you," Sango feigned gratefulness. She could tell he was trying to suck up to Kagome in order for her to spread the news to Sumiko. Why and how Kagome would speak to Sumiko enough to tell her that, she didn't know.

"Aren't I?" he nodded with a boyish grin. Sango only rolled her eyes.

No later than that, their awaited miko-in-training sprang through the door.

"Sorry I'm late!" she called out, doubling over in order to catch her breath.

"It's no problem," Sango said as she stepped over to her friend, behind over in order to be level with her. "Are you okay? You look like you've been running around the whole castle."

Kagome took one last deep breath before she straightened herself. "That's because I _have_ been running around," she replied.

Miroku sent a curious glance Kagome's way. "Has Inuyasha taken the role of slave driver now?"

Kagome shook her head, "No, I just decided to clean up his bed. You didn't do a very good job of looking after his sheets." She admonished, sending a small glare the boy's way. He didn't notice.

"Oh, I see," Sango agreed as she returned to the counter. "No one told you that the royal linens are kept in the laundry room?"

A sigh escaped the raven-haired girl. "No…" a nervous smile spread on her lips as she followed her friend to replace Miroku at the bowl. Noticing that everything was already prepared she added, "Thanks for getting everything ready."

"No problem," he smiled.

Without wasting another minute, two delicate hands grasped the opposite edges of the bowl as the blue-eyed girl shut her eyes in concentration.

Sango and Miroku, who had yet to see how Kagome demonstrated her powers, watched in curiosity. They had known that this particular mixture required a small amount of pure miko power, which was what led them to stake out for her in the kitchen.

A blue aura traced the edges of her hand as the faint glow slowly enveloped the ingredients in the bowl. A faint humming sound drew the onlooker's eyes to the face of the girl casting the spell. An old incantation fell upon her lips as she repeated the words that she had just memorized, the blue aura in the bowl alternating from shining blue to pearly white.

In an instant, a sound akin to crashing lightening erupted in the room as a dangerous flash struck the contents in the wooden mixing bowl. It was done.

Kagome hesitantly cracked an eye open, anxious as to whether she had completed the mixture correctly. She had. The ingredients faintly pulsed with an eerie light of baby blue as a steam of white sizzled on its surface.

"Is it done?" Miroku asked when Kagome opened her eyes completely.

The girl looked up at them with a smile. "Yup," she beamed at her handiwork. Maybe she understood those books a lot better than she thought.

"Good work Kagome." Sango congratulated, giving her friend a small round of applause. "That was amazing."

"Heh-heh, thanks," Kagome blushed and mock-bowed, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "The hard parts over so all I need to do now is boil some water and throw this stuff in. That means I need Sango's help and Miroku needs to go help Shippou."

Miroku raised a confused eyebrow. "With what?"

"Well," Kagome started, giving a small chuckle as she caught her friend's magenta eyes, "Shippou heard about how you were able to get that delicious apple from the basement…"

The boy didn't like where this was going. "And…?"

"He wants you to teach him how to steal stuff from there," Kagome smiled innocently as Miroku pulled a face of dread.

He had yet to relay any of the dangers that he had faced down there (i.e. cooking ladies with rolling pins and scissors) to anyone. It hadn't been long since he had narrowly avoided that danger; was he really willing to tempt fate so soon?

"Shippou's waiting," Sango urged Miroku out of the kitchen in a sing-song voice.

"Urgh," Miroku groaned as he massaged a throbbing headache in his temples. He really should have never made that bet.

:-:-:

"So," Sango started as they began their journey to Kaede's room, "You said you had something to ask me?"

Kagome nodded, "Yeah," she stared down at the brew in her hands and then to the dimly lit, dusty, brick floor. "I was wondering, do you know where the staircase on the top floor leads to?" It _had_ been pretty dark, leading to her suspicions that it led straight to the basement or something.

Sango sent her friend a dumbstruck look. "It leads to the floor below it of course."

"Both of them?"

"_Both_ of them?" Sango stopped in her tracks, gauging the seriousness Kagome displayed on her face.

"Yeah," Kagome stopped with her, "As in the two staircases on the top floor."

This led to the magenta-eyed girl to be even more confused than before. "What are you talking about, Kagome? There's only one staircase on that level."

"No, I'm talking about the one behind the door," she argued, trying to make Sango realize what she was talking about.

"Kagome," Sango started, setting her hand on one of Kagome's shoulders. "All the doors on the top floor lead to bed rooms."

"But there's another one right?" At Sango's still confused face she decided to relay more detail. "You know, the door right beside Lady Izayoi's room."

When Sango chose to only blink at her, Kagome couldn't help but feel a little worried. "Kagome, there _is _no other door beside Lady Izayoi's room." She informed, "The queen's room takes up that whole space, there can't be another door."

Now it was Kagome's turn to blink at her friend. How could a door that she had opened not be there as her friend had claimed? A few seconds of blinking resulted in worry on Sango's part.

"Kagome, are you okay?" she waved her hand in front of her friend's face when she didn't respond out of deep thought.

"Huh?" Kagome squeaked, snapping out of her stupor, "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Sango…" she held out the cup of medicine in her hands, resolved on what she _should _be doing now. "Can you bring this to Kaede for me?"

"Sure," Sango agreed, taking the cup, "But Kagome-!"

By then Kagome was already turning the corner, heading for the stairs that led up to the next level.

There was something definitely wrong about this situation.

:-:-:

She approached the door swiftly as her feet padded across the carpeted hallway, her hands reaching out in order to push the known barrier out of her way. When she swung it open, she didn't bother to waste any time as the subject of her concerns was spotted again just a few seconds ago.

"Inuyasha!" she burst into the room, pulling the prince away from whatever he was doing.

He was sleeping in his comfortable chair. The drowsy hanyou awoke with a start from the rudeness of his awakening. Golden eyes narrowed into aggravated slits as he turned around to glare at the servant girl. "What?" he barked, impatiently.

By the time he turned around, Kagome was already walking towards him at a brisk pace. A confused yet determined look adorned her face. "Come with me," she commanded as she grabbed the prince's wrist.

Surprisingly, she was able to pull Inuyasha out of his seat with one try. He had never thought that Kagome was capable of this strength.

"Oi!" he protested as she led him into the hallway, stopping abruptly when they were just outside his bedroom door. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, pulling his wrist out of her small hands. She didn't seem to care about his annoyed actions.

"Do you see that?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at the door in question before her. She pointed diagonally from his door, away from his mother's to the one beside it. Inuyasha, being a hanyou, had heightened senses. If anyone would be able to see what no one else (other than her) could, it would be him.

She looked up at him, inspecting his face as he narrowed his eyes in the direction he was pointing. He looked down at her, still peeved from his rude wake up call. "It's a wall, what of it?"

Kagome's hopes sank quickly. "You don't see that?" she demanded, staring at him with all seriousness in her eyes. She paced across the hallway and stood right beside the large, wooden door. "You _really_ don't see this?" she waved at it.

"All I'm seeing is a wall."

"You don't see the door?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms, contemplating whether or not Kagome was going crazy. "Kagome, are you alright?" he questioned her sanity, "Maybe you've been studying too hard for too long." He walked over to her and put his hand on her forehead, trying to determine if she had a fever. "Or maybe you're just hallucinating out of sickness."

"Don't tell me that," she shot back, "Sango already said that, I don't need to hear it again." She spat, stomping away, a finger on her chin as her eyebrows knit together in determined wonder. Promptly ignoring the quizzical looks Inuyasha was giving her, she left him behind as her mind wandered in the same pattern as her feet.

Inuyasha, remembering the nap he had been brought out of, entered his bedroom, sat himself in his chair and fell back asleep.

:-:-:

Kagome grabbed a candle as she exited the kitchen and marched up to the top floor. Dinner had just ended and, based on observations from the previous weeks, no one returned to their rooms straight after dinner. With the exception for Sumiko of course, who knew what she did in there, but she never came out of her room.

Now would be the best time to investigate that door that only she could see.

She confronted the large door, staring up at it before she took a deep breath. Grabbing the door knob she pulled it open… and then closed it.

It was pitch black in there. There was no possible way that she would be able to make it down without a candle. But then the possibility of something else lurking down there struck her.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go see what was down there. But the other side of her brain was nagging at her to find out why only she could see it. Stupid curiosity!

Kagome glanced down at the unlit candle in her had. First she would need to find a match so she could light it. Quickly, she rushed into Inuyasha's room and found a match in his desk drawer. What he was doing with matches she didn't really care.

She made a move to leave before she spied the pair of scissors sitting on his desk. After mulling it over she grabbed those too as a precaution. If, in fact, there happened to be something down there she would need some kind of defense. If she had taken a knife out of the kitchen and was seen headed to the top floor with it there was no doubt in her mind she would be suspected of something.

The scissors would have to do.

Her feet padded across the hallway as she confronted the large door again. She could feel her heartbeat increase as anxiousness overwhelmed her. What would she find down there? Was there a reason why she was the only one who could see the door? Was she just going crazy?

She shook her head, snapping herself out of her nervousness. Thinking about things like this too deeply was wasting time.

Her hand reached out and swung the door open. The hollow echo of silence reached her ears as she stared down into the dark depths of the stairwell. With a gulp she scratched the match against the brick wall, igniting the flame and bestowing it upon her candle.

Blowing out the now useless match, she took the first step forward and proceeded down the staircase. The wooden door closed behind her as she and her small ember were enveloped in the thick darkness.

:-:-:

"How much longer 'till I get to the bottom?" she asked herself out loud, enjoying the echo of her voice in the hollow stairwell. The silence had been overwhelmingly nerve-wracking and the only way she could think of to escape it was to talk to herself.

Holding the candle in front of her, Kagome started down at the steps below her feet, trying to make sure she wouldn't trip and fall the rest of the way down. That wouldn't be pleasant.

A sigh escaped her as she lowered the candle just a little bit. Her arm was starting to get tired and her feet were starting to get sore.

"So many stairs…" she groaned out, allowing the sound of her voice to be reflected back at her. A humorous thought came to mind as she stared down at the seemingly endless stairs.

"Maybe I should have just made a sled and rode it down here," she chuckled to herself until she noticed something different from the sight her candle would allow her.

She could see the last stair. The ground below smoothed out into a single floor.

She was at the bottom!

Kagome's blue eyes blinked at the sight before her as she stopped in her tracks. She had been waiting for this moment ever since she began her trek on this staircase, and it was finally here.

But her feet wouldn't move.

She could only blink at it as her mind turned over various situations in her head. It was needless to say she was nervous to find out what was down there and-

She quickly put an end to her musings. She had already gone over this. There was no need to waste more time. There was no way she could tell how long she had been down there which meant if she were down there for too long people would start getting worried.

Her feet finally complied with her brain as she took the last steps forward before landing on the ground. But when she looked ahead of her there was nothing but darkness.

"Great…" she drawled to herself. "More walking…"

But when she took a few more steps forward she realized she had spoken too soon.

Her eyes narrowed in curiosity as she observed the spectacle before her. She definitely wasn't expecting something like this.

"An altar?" As she encountered it to expect it closer, she spied two candles on either side of the ancient artifact. She distributed the light of her small ember to the two unlit ones as they gradually filled the small area with light.

She squinted as the sudden burst of light shocked her eyes, blinding her momentarily. When they adjusted she noticed something that wasn't there before.

On the altar was a tablet that appeared to be comprised of hardened dirt. And on the tablet were engravings.

She leaned over, trying to decipher the writing etched within the stone tablet. It was hard to make out as dust had covered much of the scratches.

Blue eyes scanned the artifact over, it looked so brittle. In order to read it she would need to wipe the dust off of it. But she was sure that at the mere touch of her hand it would surely break into pieces.

Thinking it over, she desperately blew at the dust as a last ditch effort. The dust stayed in place.

That only left one option: she would have to wipe it.

Kagome stared down at the tablet, silently apologizing to it as she gently swept her hand over it.

The dust flew away.

The tablet was still in place.

And for some reason the words were glowing.

She blinked, confused as to why the words had started to glow. All she had done was wipe off the dust because she wanted to read the words… Wait… Kaede had mentioned to her before that in order to activate miko powers she would really have to want something in order for her powers to work for her.

Well, she _had_ wanted to read the words. Maybe her miko powers had complied with her desires and helped her out.

Shooing away her thoughts she went back to the task at hand.

"Dear my loved ones,

I wish for your safety as I pass

My yearnings have led to my destruction

And have imprisoned you all.

I beg of you to forgive me and I write these words in order to lift the plague that I have set upon you all.

But if my efforts prove futile, there is only one other way that I can think of to help you all.

You must remember this as my heart forbids that I relay the truth: The light of your beloved sun shall bring the dawn of a new day."

Kagome blinked in wonder as her eyes skimmed over the words she had just recited. What on earth was this tablet talking about? It made no sense.

Although the meaning was lost to her she continued to mull over the words written before her, examining the letters and handwriting.

She couldn't help but think there was something wrong about it though. Her face was mere inches away from the illuminating text as her eyes were bent on examining them more closely. That's when she noticed what was bugging her.

There was something odd about the way the word "sun" was written.

Taking her finger, she rubbed at the word, removing any more dust particles that were left behind in the first cleaning.

She was right. There was something wrong with the word. Instead of spelling out the word "sun" it was actually written in order to read "son."

Kagome squinted as she put a finger on her chin in concentration. What did that mean?

All of a sudden a cold wind brushed through her hair and engulfed her. Rushing against her exposed skin as the pressure of the air increased. She shielded her eyes as the wind blew straight at her vision, drying her eyes out more than necessary.

What was going on? There couldn't be that strong a draft in such a deep place could it?

As soon as she thought that she was rudely shaken away from her thoughts as she felt herself fall to the floor. Only this time something was out of place.

Her hands landed against the floor, holding herself up before her head hit the surface along with the rest of her body. But beneath her hands was not the cold floor she had been standing on a few seconds ago, but carpet.

Reluctantly, the raven-haired girl removed her hand from her eyes, allowing the vision before her to sink in.

She was outside the door. She was back in the royal hallway on the top floor.

A frown soiled her face as she looked around her, confused. 'Why the heck am I back here?' she thought to herself as she leaned back against her arms, sitting on the floor with her eyes still trained on the door before her.

Just a few seconds ago she was in front of the tablet at the very bottom of that staircase. Now she was up back where she started. Her eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. There was something mysterious about the environment beyond that door. That was for sure.

"Kagome!"

The girl on the floor snapped out of her musings as she heard her name. She raised her head, noticing that Sango was running over to her place on the floor. For some reason she looked frantic. Maybe she had been down there a lot longer than she thought.

Kagome stood up as her friend approached and met up with her. "Sango? Is something wrong?"

"I've been looking all over for you!" she exclaimed, keeling over for air due to her running. "Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry, Sango," Kagome apologized, "I didn't know I took that lo-"

Sango cut her off as she seized her friends hand and rushed over to the closest window. "That's not important, Kagome," she pushed her friend in front of the window with a sudden smile. "Look!"

Kagome took a look out the window, barely registering what was outside due to her sudden transition in thought. "What about it Sa-?" That's when the scene outside the window sunk in. She did a double take and then glued her eyes to the window. Her hands pressed against the glass pane as she observed it more closely.

She blinked… And then blinked again. It was really happening.

"The snow…" she was too surprised from the scene before her to mutter anything else.

"It stopped," Sango finished for her with a happy grin.

:-:-:-:-:

AN: Well, I guess I kind of went back on the message in my profile. But I've been viewing writing for this as a way to keep my sanity in check due to school. I'm going to be pulling an all night tonight working on homework so I thought I'd get this up anyway. My logic doesn't really make sense, I know, but like I said, I need to keep my sanity in check before it merely becomes a far off memory.

Anyway, this chapter is two pages longer than my usual and it definitely has more content, so it's probably going to be a while before I post again (Don't quote me on that though). So before I go, I'd like to wish you guys Happy Holidays!!!!

Oh yeah! By the way, what do you guys think about the new summary? I thought the old one didn't sound that interesting so I changed it.

NOTE: Okay, while I was re-reading one of my previous chapters I realized that I had mentioned the existence of a certain closet (chapter 7) that Kagome and Inuyasha had been talking about for a few seconds. Just as a reference note, this is not the same closet in case some of you were trying to make that connection.


	10. The Notebook

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_**The Notebook**_

_**:-:-:**_

As expected, there was an immediate elated uproar surging through the castle residents as they flocked to any window they could find to witness the phenomenon with their own eyes.

It was true. The snow had stopped.

Kagome entered the expansive throne room surrounded by gray stone walls. A red carpet lay straight from the massive door to the small steps at the opposite end of the room leading to the thrones. They were empty at the moment which was a great contrast with the rest of the room. Servants, cooks, maids, everyone who inhabited the castle gathered in the large room in order to hear the queen's statements on the occurrence.

"Kagome, over here," Sango pulled her friend in the direction of a certain window where Miroku was quietly observing for the first time the clear air and the silent atmosphere on the other side of the glass. When he noticed his friends approaching he immediately greeted them with a smile.

"I was wondering when you two would get here," he moved to the side of the window in order to let the girls observe the miracle outside.

"Sorry," Kagome apologized, "I was taking a nap," she excused.

Sango blinked at her questioningly. "On the floor?" she asked, remembering Kagome was on the floor when she found her.

Kagome was going to say something before she stopped herself. "Yes, on the floor," she agreed nodding surely of herself with a slight hint of sarcasm. Sango and Miroku couldn't help but chuckle.

When the three of them returned their gazes back to the window Inuyasha and his mother had already entered and the buzz of conversation immediately ceased as they perked their ears to listen to the words of their queen.

Lady Izayoi, in her graceful beauty, flowed up the stairs to where the thrones sat. Instead of sitting down at her respective place she opted, instead, to stand up and face her subjects, for her joy was too great.

"It is wonderful for all of you to gather here now as it has been the first time in a long time for all of us to meet again in one place." She began, a truly joyful smile painted her lips. "I am sure most all of you have noticed that our Eternal Snow has finally come to and end after so long. And hopefully this occurrence will continue for longer than we can hope."

Kagome, Sango, and Miroku smiled to themselves as they felt their spirits rise at their Lady's words. Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk as he leaned against the wall behind his mother. Her happiness was contagious.

"As your queen on this lucky day, I hereby decree that this day will forever be honored as our day of freedom and hope and that you all may enjoy it in any way that you please." She folded her hands before her as her eyes twinkled brightly.

The smiles that placed themselves on her subjects' faces were nothing short of excited as they gazed up at their queen's decree and finally accepted the reality of the situation.

The snow had stopped.

The outside was safe to wander for the first time in centuries.

"Hey! The clouds are parting!" Someone exclaimed from their station at the window, causing a chain reaction which led many other people to crowd around the many individual windows of the room.

"I can see the sun!" rang another on the other side of the room.

It only took one glance and an exchange of smiles between the trio to decide what they would do on that joyous day.

Quickly, they dashed for the closest door that led outside, swung it open and threw themselves into the calm atmosphere. Shippou, who had just made it to the room in time to see them leave, trailed behind them… Followed by every other servant in the room.

Inuyasha blinked, surprised at how the room had emptied out so fast. Although, he couldn't blame them, he was just as excited to experience nature without the onslaught of snow again.

Just as he was about to leave he spotted his mother, still rooted to the spot where she had announced the occasion. When she still refused to move he blinked at her strangely. Carefully he went to her side, just in case he might startle her. "You okay mom?"

Her bright eyes met his as he noticed the excited smile still on her face. "I'm fine, Inuyasha," she nodded. "I still can't believe it's actually happening," she put a hand on her forehead in disbelief.

"Well, c'mon," he went ahead of her, "You probably miss the conditions you were in when you stepped out of your own castle." He stated knowingly since his mother _had_ lived in another kingdom before marrying his father.

Izayoi laughed and followed her son to the open doorway, bracing herself for the familiar feeling she had missed so long ago.

:-:-:

"Hey Miroku!"

"Yea-" The poor boy was cut off as a ball of snow smashed into his face. The smile that had grown on his face at the sound of Sango's voice slowly vanished as the shock of the surprise sunk in.

Kagome and Shippou bubbled over in laughter as they watched Sango stand her ground proudly with a look of challenge in her eyes towards the boy, the sun shining down on her as it peaked through the clouds. Hands on her hips, she silently declared war.

Miroku, catching the look of challenge, smiled cleverly as he wiped the rest of the stray snow that bit at his face. "Oh, I see then. War it is." He agreed as he knelt over and picked up a pile of snow, molding it into a ball. When he rose to his full height again he was met with the sight of Kagome, Sango, and Shippou all poised to fire the snowballs in their hands.

"Hey!" he protested, "Three against one isn't fair!" he pointed at them accusingly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

His opponents only laughed, ignoring his protests and aiming carefully.

They all let it fly at once.

Thankfully, since Miroku had enough warning this time, he managed to duck and evade the onslaught of snowballs. But the person who had been sneaking up on him with another pile of snow didn't have the pleasure of ducking like his prey did.

Three snowballs smashed into the hanyou prince's face as he held the snow mound that was meant for Miroku high above his head.

The three perpetrators gaped momentarily at Inuyasha before looking away casually, feigning innocence.

"Alright," Inuyash growled, his eyes narrowed at the four people in front of him. "Who threw that?"

The two girls and kitsune looked at each other, pretending to wonder what he was talking about before they all quietly decided what to do. "He did it," they chorused, pointing at Miroku innocently.

Miroku gawked at them, "What?" he sputtered. "How could I possibly throw them?" He got up on his feet and pointed at the space between him and his friend. "I'm a foot away from him! How could I possibly have thrown it!" He defended, pleading for mercy with his friends.

Unfortunately, his charm seemed to have no effect as Inuyasha turned mischievous, golden eyes on his friend.

Dark eyes widened horror as he spotted the mound of snow now towering above him. Just when he was turning to run he was bombarded in a large pile of snow, courtesy of Inuyasha.

The other three witnesses doubled over in laughter as they watched the pile of snow; Miroku's hand was the only thing that stuck out as it twitched.

Inuyasha smirked as his friend popped up out of the small hill he was buried in. "I'm not the one who did it!" Miroku argued.

"Oh c'mon Miroku! I'm not an idiot," Inuyasha crossed his hands over his chest as he sent a playful smirk the girls' way. "Now it's time to punish the one's who _did_ do it."

Kagome, Sango, and Shippou chanced a glance at each other… and then dashed off in different directions, their playful laughs still floating in the air.

"I'm on Inuyasha's team!" Miroku declared, holding his hand high up in the air so that he wasn't missed.

"Just get off the ground and help me!" Inuyasha called to his friend, already chasing after his targets.

:-:-:

Inuyasha dashed through the snow, the powder he kicked up trailed behind him as he ran. His silver hair flowed behind him, the color mixing in with the white snow.

He had already nailed Shippou with a well-aimed, larger than necessary, snow ball which checked one victim off his list. Miroku insisted that he would be the one to exact revenge on Sango. That only left one more person: Kagome.

His golden eyes moved back and forth, trying to pinpoint the exact location of Kagome's scent. He had to hand it to her, that girl could run for human.

Finally he found his target as she ran in the snow, the material of her clothing gently brushing the surface of the light snow on the ground. She was none the wiser that her hunter had found her. He swept down, grabbing and hand full of snow in his large hands, molding it into a perfect ball.

He threw it, applying enough force and aiming perfectly so that it was sure to hit her.

Well, it _would_ have if a certain kitsune hadn't intervened.

"Kagome!" The kitsune shrieked from his pile in the snow, alerting Kagome to the danger on her tail.

The dark-haired girl, having read the fox's warning clearly, flung her arm out as she spun around, smashing the ball of snow into tiny snow particles just before it hit her.

To her it seemed like a lucky break to have destroyed the assailing object just before it hit her. She smiled and laughed to herself, reveling in the accomplishment.

But to Inuyasha, the scene was something much more.

He could have sworn that when she destroyed that snowball and dispersed the conglomerate of snow flecks his mouth had run dry. It wasn't only because of her impressive performance but the scene before him took his breath away.

Kagome stood there, slightly off balance due to her spin but laughing in such a joyous way that it made his heart stop. Her robes flowed around her, her arm still hanging out from her act on the snowball. The soft sunlight kissed her rosy cheeks as the remaining particles from the snowball glittered around her, reflecting the light in the colors of the rainbow.

But what got him the most was her smile and her smiling eyes as she looked at him. His ears perked as he caught the sound of her laughter on the wind, bringing his own smile to his face.

She was beautiful.

… Wait a minute… He shook his head out of his reverie. Beautiful? Uh, no, this was Kagome he was thinking about. As in Kagome, his hand servant, miko in training, lower in social status… and his friend from long ago.

He blinked as he stared at her, confused. But the scene before him couldn't help but strike him.

But then the moment was ruined.

Something icy cold came in contact with the hanyou's back, causing the smile that had started to form to instantly turn upside down into a scowl. He narrowed his eyes as he looked behind him, staring down his opponent.

Why wasn't he surprised when he found that it was Shippou who had thrown it?

:-:-:

"Gah! So cold," Kagome shivered, hugging herself tightly in an effort to warm up. She had been completely destroyed by those snowballs that Inuyasha and Miroku had aimed at her. It didn't really help that Miroku had showered her with snow or that Inuyasha stuffed a snowball down her back.

Running a hand through her hair she tried to get the remaining pieces of ice that had clung to the dark strands out. It didn't work.

"Kagome!" Sango called out to her friend before she entered the warm castle hallway. She had obviously surrendered her part of the war, but it must have taken a lot of convincing before she gave up since she was covered in much more snow compared to Kagome.

"I swear they cheated," Kagome muttered playfully.

"I agree," Sango smiled, "We'll get them next time." A determined look covered her face until she and her friend burst out laughing. "Anyway, do you want to take a bath? Lady Izayoi gave me permission to use the royal bath if we wanted."

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, "Are you serious?" She certainly wasn't expecting that… The royal baths… It showed Kagome just how generous the queen was.

"Of course," Sango smiled and took her friend's hand. "Now let's hurry, I'm freezing in these wet clothes."

Kagome smiled at her friend, took one last glance at the sparkling, frozen ocean of ice crystals just outside the door, and followed her lead.

:-:-:

"Aaaah," Kagome sighed as she slipped beneath the surface of the warm water, letting it wash over her bare skin. "This is great," she sighed contentedly, a shiver running up her back as the hot water chased the icy feeling away.

"Yeah," Sango agreed on the opposite end of the pool. The magenta-eyed girl dunked her head under the water in an effort to get the ice in her hair to melt.

Kagome, who had been bothered with the ice in her hair, mimicked her friend's action before rising again to gasp for air. She leaned back against the wall of the pool as she sat on the shallow steps which acted as a makeshift seat. Looking around it was only then she noticed the characteristics of the royal bath. It had surprised her that the bath tub was as big as a pool but the interior of the bathroom was just as majestic. Glowing candles stationed around the edges of the wall illuminated the room in an eerie yet relaxing glow, causing the room to look like something out of a dream. Jars of bathing herbs lined the shelves on the walls, their sweet aromas wafting through the air to create the pleasant scent.

The blue-eyed girl inhaled deeply, taking in the setting around her. It was wonderful.

Sango noticed her friend's gaze and smiled to herself. "Impressed?"

Kagome nodded, mirroring the smile, "I shouldn't have expected anything less for the _royal_ bath." She raised her hand from under the water, breaking the surface of the silky mirror around her and holding the many bubbles that floated around her in her hand.

She was content. The comfort of the warm water fighting away the bitter cold was wonderful.

Even though she couldn't deny how great it felt physically, her mind still spun with so many unanswered questions that had not ceased to plague her since she arrived. She hadn't told anyone about her mental state and instead chose to keep to herself about it. She had been having this tugging feeling in the back of her mind, as if there was something gravely important that she needed to remember.

But no matter how many times she tried to conjure up any of her memories she had only ended up with a headache with nothing to show for it. A frown wrinkled her face as she leaned her head back to rest against the large, pool-like tub.

The creak of the massive wooden door on the other side of the room snapped her out of her reverie. Opening her eyes, she lazily chanced a glance towards the open doorway only to snap upright and break away from her relaxation. "Lady Izayoi!" She exclaimed, eyes opening wide awake as her queen smiled back at her.

"Hello Kagome," she responded, her voice as gentle as it always was.

Sango spun around to face her mistress, alert to her presence just as Kagome was. "Would you like us to leave you, my Lady?"

The small smile stayed in place as the older woman shook her head. "Of course not. It's nice to have some company once in a while. I'm surprised I haven't asked you two to bathe with me more often."

In a matter of minutes the queen shed her robes and joined her closest servants in the bath. She mimicked Kagome's actions and relaxed against the wall of the pool, a happy sigh escaping her.

Kagome went back to her silent examination of her thoughts as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, her ears vaguely catching the other two women in conversation. She chose ignore it for a bit and mull over her own thoughts.

She still couldn't comprehend how she had survived walking through that snow storm on her own. Unless she had manipulated her miko powers at that time but, according to Kaede, there was no such technique that would allow her to circumvent such a storm. That ruled that possibility off of her list.

A frown marred her peaceful face as she overheard her companions' conversation.

"Lady Izayoi," Sango started, "do you have any idea as to why the snow stopped?"

The queen shook her head. "None," she voiced. Hugging her legs to her chest in a girl-like fashion her eyes went skyward in wonder. "In all my years of being queen I've never seen the snow even lighten once." She thought out loud which made Kagome wonder.

How _had_ the snow stopped so suddenly? She recounted the exact moment she was alerted to the phenomenon and how surprised and elated she was at the occasion. Going backwards from there she suddenly remembered her mysterious journey down the stairwell only she could see.

Then it occurred to her- the snow had stopped while she was down there.

A mysterious snow storm… A mysterious stairwell that only she could see… And that cryptic tablet she had discovered down there.

"_I beg of you to forgive me and I write these words in order to lift the plague that I have set upon you all…"_

She twisted and turned the factors in her head. Even though she had wanted to forget them and live on with her normal life there was a nagging feeling that these were all connected.

Suddenly a vague, weak connection popped up in her mind; so distorted that if the thought left her she wouldn't be able to make sense of it anymore.

She jolted upright from her relaxed position, alerting her two female companions to her sudden revelation, though unknowing.

"Kagome," Sango looked concerned, "Are you alright?"

The girl in question smiled suddenly so as not to worry them. "Yes, I'm fine." She picked herself out of the pool and grabbed the closest, clean towel and wrapped it around herself. "I just remembered that I need to do some more studying before I relax for the day."

"But we've declared today a holiday," Sango tried to reason her friend into rest.

"Yes, but Kaede's death isn't going to wait just for a holiday," she reasoned back, drying herself up and pulling her clothes back on. Before she left she quickly bowed her thanks to the queen and left, resolute on keeping her notion in her mind.

Exiting the queens room she quickly encountered the mysterious door. Despite her previous haste she took this time to sort out her thoughts more clearly before heading once more into the unknown.

"_If I'm right about this then I've gotten into something much larger than I can handle…"_ she thought, already feeling the sense of foreboding when she opened the invisible door to the stairwell.

She frowned when she noticed a difference in the staircase. Last time she had brought along a lit candle to light her way downstairs, but this time she could already see light illuminating somewhere deep inside, enough for her to see the steps clearly. And why did the trip suddenly look shorter?

Kagome took a deep breath and proceeded to find her answers.

:-:-:

There was definitely no end to her confusion was there?

First of all, the trip down the stairs was no longer the long trek she had endured the first time. Now it was noticeably shorter to the point of annoyance. Why it annoyed her she didn't really know. Maybe it just ruined the sense of adventure in it all.

Second, the pair of scissors and candle she left down there were gone. However the two candles that were stationed on each side of the tablet remained lit, which explained the source of light at the end of the journey.

Third, there was no more tablet. The old block of carved dirt that she had cleaned off only a few hours ago was no where to be seen. On the altar, instead, lay a notebook.

Blue eyes stared at it in confusion. That had definitely not been there the first time.

Quickly getting over her confusion, Kagome stepped forward until she reached the altar, her hands reaching out for the leather-bound book. She ran a hand over it as she picked it up; a sudden warmth washed over her as she did so. Upon inspecting the cover she could see the picture of a flower painted in gold against the dark black of the leather. It appeared to be worn out from aging but still sturdy enough to be read.

She opened it up to view the first page, the writing was still legible from what she could tell but the dim lighting of the candle was not so kind to her eyes. She was unable to read it.

With one last glance at the mysterious altar, she dashed up the stairs thankful that she wasn't rudely thrust out of the room like last time.

:-:-:

A great sense of anticipation and haste had engulfed her the minute she entered the prince's room for privacy… Well maybe not privacy, she could hear splashing coming from the bathroom which meant Inuyasha had returned from his day in the snow, but it was close enough.

She spied the comfy red seat sitting across the room- the seat Inuyasha always lounged in. She had always wondered how comfy it would be to sit there. Pacing over to it, she quickly sat down before her mind wondered if Inuyasha would mind.

And here she was, sitting in a chair with a mysterious book in her hands, ready to read. Despite her sense of foreboding, she knew she had already faced numerous mysterious things in this castle to be too afraid.

'_Open it…'_

Without another thought her hands quickly grabbed both covers of the book and opened it. Her eyes scrutinizing the small, fancy print on the page.

It only took her a little while to figure out it was written by the person who set the curse.

_My name is Mitsuki Kouyama- the girl who trapped everyone in this castle of Kouriya and the princess of this land. _

:-:-:

AN: Right… so, I guess it was a shorter chapter this time but I just realized my writing knack has gone bye bye again and I'm unable to formulate pretty sentences for now. I'm sorry again everyone! I'll try again next chapter, I think I dragged this one out a little too long. If I have time later I'll probably go back and edit.

Remember to review! Please!


	11. Lady Mitsuki's Warning

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 11**_

_**Lady Mitsuki's Warning**_

_**:-:-:**_

Kagome couldn't stave the curiosity that bubbled up within her as her eyes raked over the first page. She had had no idea. No one in this castle had had absolutely any idea about the curse and here she was with the answer to all those questions sitting in her hands.

At least she hoped so.

_My story is a long and complicated one. Sometimes even I don't understand how everything ended up the way it is, but it can no longer be undone. If my last resort does not accomplish what I hope it will then it really cannot be fixed. Not by me. _

_I have left this behind in case I do fail. If you find this let me just warn you that there is no turning back. You are now the last hope for the country of Kouriya. _

Kagome shivered at the thought of it. What was she getting at? And her being the last hope? Whatever she was talking about, she could already feel the pressure on her shoulders.

_I apologize in advance for making you clean up after my grave mistake. But if you do succeed there will be no doubt that you will be forever praised by my people and will find eternal happiness for them as well as yourself. _

_If you have not figured it out already, I am hoping that you will break the curse that I have set. _

She blinked at that. As she read there was a feeling that this was what the former princess would be asking of her, but in the back of her mind she was silently praying that such a big responsibility would not be left to someone like her.

_If the snow has ceased to stop before you have finished reading this, it may only be temporary, I'm sorry to say. But if my theory is correct there is a way to completely break it. _

That was the entire first page. When Kagome turned the page she was expecting to find instructions on how to break the curse, but instead she was faced with Lady Mitsuki's story.

_Kouriya was not always a Valley of Ice. Before I set the curse loose, the kingdom was surrounded by green grass on all sides with small villages surrounding the castle. The sun shone everyday and it was never too rainy to the point of flooding. The villagers were almost always happy and usually cooperated with the people of the palace. It was the perfect kingdom through my eyes. I can only weep at what it has become. But I digress. _

_My father was a very easy-going man. He was a kind ruler who loved my mother, his people, and myself very much. Unfortunately both my parents passed away due to an epidemic and left me to rule the kingdom. Thankfully, my people accepted me with open arms and guided me so that I could rule them properly. It was completely and utterly wonderful. _

_I ruled by myself peacefully with the help of my advisors. One such was my childhood friend, Eichi Sakurai- my first love._

_He was such a wonderful person. The greatest guy that you could ever meet in a life time. He was kind, handsome, caring, supportive, and always there for me. _

_We were in love for a long time. I didn't think it could ever end. Nothing could come between us. _

_In addition to his being one of my advisors he was also the castle messenger. The job always sent him away on trips in order to deliver messages. One time I had offered to change his job so that he could stay in the castle more often but he declined gracefully with that lovely smile of his. _

_It was apparent that I should have insisted if I had known what would happen on that particular day. _

_On that day Eichi left to deliver yet another message, but this time he didn't come back. He was killed by bandits. I never saw him again. _

_From that day onwards I desperately tried to cope with my loss but it was too difficult. If it weren't for my best friend and advisor, Meroko, I never would have pulled myself out of the stupor. I would mope day after day, refusing to eat meals unless forced to do so. _

_After a year I finally accepted his death and moved on. I still loved him, but knowing him, he wouldn't want me to be unhappy for the rest of my life on his account. The whole castle was happy for me as I smiled back at them the way I used to before it happened. It was as close to happy as I could get after he left me. Everything was close to being the same again._

_Until it became obvious that I would need to appoint and marry a king. _

_Of course I refused profusely, knowing that my heart still belonged to Eichi. But eventually, I don't remember how, they persuaded me to choose someone. It was for the best of the kingdom that I did not cling to such selfish feelings. _

_My advisors had allowed me to travel in order to find a man who I found suited me. They believed I should make the choice since I had endured such a painful parting in my previous relationship. They believed I should make the choice since I knew what was best for all of them. If they had chosen one they believed he might be corrupt and act as the downfall of the country. _

_Maybe if they had chosen for me all of this could have been avoided. _

_My first and last stop was the Country of Shikon- the kingdom of my second true love. _

_I never knew what exactly attracted me to the prince of that land. Yes he was handsome but he was also very infuriating from time to time. Definitely not like Eichi. But whenever I was distressed he was there to help me and encourage me. Yes, he was a person I would never forget, my heart held onto his existence much too strongly. _

_Takuto Kira. The man I loved was quite a bit older than me but in a young way (I was still 16). The first time I met him we had instantly gotten into a fight, over what I have forgotten. But from that instant I knew I wouldn't ever forget a person like him. _

_Eventually we became accustomed to each others' presence. He would protect me and I would help him. We became friends quickly. But one night he instantly increased the depths of our relationship. _

_He wrote me a song that melted my heart. Through that song I knew we loved each other in an instant. _

Kagome began to skip over the excruciating detail of Mitsuki's feelings, already getting the picture of how deep their love was. She must have loved this Takuto guy a lot to have written how much she loved him in 5 whole pages.

She stopped skipping when she noticed that Mitsuki had written the lyrics to the song.

_Hold me tight konna omoi nara_

_Dareka wo Suki ni naru kimochi shiritakunakatta yo_

_I love you namida tomaranai _

_Konnan ja kimi no koto_

_Shirazuni Yokatta yo_

Her eyes widened in realization. These were the words to the song she sang. The song that she had sang in the snow on the way here and the tune she hummed to herself as she worked.

It was related to the curse?

_I loved him with all my heart. Which was why when he married someone else I lashed out with everything I had. _

At those words Kagome felt something for Mitsuki. Had she been betrayed? She continued to read.

_That summer, after knowing full well who I would choose to be my king, I returned home to Kouriya in order to prepare things. Takuto had promised that he would join me in Kouriya later that summer so I had to make sure everything was perfect. _

_He said it would be a few weeks until he could make it. _

_Months passed until I heard any kind of word from him. And it wasn't even from him. It was from his father. _

_It had turned out that during my absence Takuto had married another woman in order to fulfill a peace treaty between two other kingdoms. The marriage would act as a union between them. I was no longer remembered. _

_His father was cruel. Even when I was there and he knew that Takuto and I were in love, he tried to separate us and convince Takuto that any kind of marriage between us would be pointless. In his eyes my kingdom held no value to a powerful one like theirs. And so I was left out. _

_I never heard from Takuto again. _

_I waited a year… maybe two and I didn't even notice. I wore myself out wondering, anticipating the next time we would see each other and what would happen. It never came. _

_It was then that I finally snapped. _

_All my pent up anger, jealousy, and sorrow flowed out at once. At that moment I felt complete hatred toward my prince to the point where I never wanted to see him again even if he_ did_ want to see me. I contemplated the creation of a barrier, but he could easily circumvent that. His family consisted of many magic practitioners, he was no exception. _

_And so I came up with the worst possible option. I created a blizzard that stretched on for miles. Magic could only take a person so far. I believed he would not be able to get through it. _

_And he couldn't. Nobody could. I had poured out every bit of negativity into that curse to the point where it could easily last an eternity. Hatred is not easily quelled when its emotion is so pure. _

_Before I realized my mistake it was too late. I had trapped everyone. Doomed my people. And it was all because of something as small as a single broken heart._

_I realize now that the situation is no longer in my control. My hate and sorrow drives the snow and can only be calmed by his memory. I assume that you have something to do with the Kingdom of Shikon or Takuto himself to have found this and possibly stop the curse. _

_I can only imagine what the cure for this curse can be and I suspect it to be the birth of a true love. It was always my dream to meet him in this castle and have him sing to me the way he did when I was away. I wanted a true love, one with such emotion and high standard that a person could only dream of finding it. _

_To fall in love all over again, I know for certain that that would quell the hatred and bitterness of the snow forever. However, I know full well that I will not be able to fulfill this goal. That is why I am begging you to do this for me. Please help the royal family find true love. Please allow my hatred to experience the love it yearned for all those years ago. _

_That is the only way I could think of breaking it. _

_I apologize for all the trouble this will cause you and I wish you good luck. _

That was it? Kagome wondered as she closed the book angrily. She momentarily forgot the mission that had been assigned to her as she silently fumed over Lady Mitsuki's history.

That Takuto guy had just abandoned her? With no warning whatsoever? He hadn't even contacted her before or after the deed was done?

Kagome glared out at the night sky on the other side of the glass, as if trying to find the guy somewhere in the heavens.

'_What a jerk…'_ she thought to herself as she scoured the book for anything she had missed. She stopped when her eyes skimmed over the lyrics to the song he wrote. The song she had always sung to herself.

Then it occurred to her, something was wrong with this story. These words were too deep to be easily thrown away for another. She should know; she mulled over those words everyday.

Something seemed to be missing in Mitsuki's story. But what was it?

"Hey."

"Ah!" Kagome jumped and slammed the book shut, turning wide blue eyes on the prince looming behind her.

Inuyasha only looked vaguely interested in her surprise and instead focused on the book in her lap. "What are you reading?" he questioned, the way she reacted made it look suspicious.

"Nothing!" Kagome blurted instantaneously, not knowing the reason why. "It's nothing," she repeated only slower, inching her eyes up to look at him. It was only then that she noticed.

Inuyasha wasn't wearing a shirt.

A sudden wave of heat and embarrassment overtook Kagome's face by surprise. Noticing the quick change, she schooled her features, hoping that he wouldn't notice. It didn't seem like he did.

"I-" Kagome started as she shot out of the chair, taking the white-haired man by surprise. "I'll be going now," she blurted out quickly and headed straight for the door, the diary in hand.

The girl quickly swung it open and closed it quickly, slipping out in the small time frame. When she was out in the hall she let herself slump against the wall behind her, releasing a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

What just happened to her?

She didn't think she had ever been so embarrassed before in her life. And it was about something small too!

… Well, maybe not so small…

She knew what men looked like shirtless. Why was it that when she saw Inuyasha it was so surprising?

'_Maybe it's because he looks so… No! _No!_' _Kagome berated herself as she violently shook her head, trying to get the pink blush off of her face. "I have more important things to worry about!" she declared out loud, shocking some of the passing servants as she stomped down the hall.

Flipping through the pages of the diary quickly, she walked to the only other place that would provide some peace and quiet… That is, if it wasn't being occupied by anyone.

:-:-:

The first thing Kagome realized when she woke up was that her body was sore. Every joint on her body was in pain. But she couldn't really complain since she knew the reason why and that it was her own fault.

Three days… She had spent three days straight alternating her studying in the library between her miko studies and the memoirs of Lady Mitsuki. Almost every minute of her day was being overtaken by the different facts, techniques, and analytical assumptions running through her mind.

She definitely had a headache.

And what was worse? Her memories were starting to come back.

Of course she should have been happy, and she was. It was just that with her studying and the prospects of the curse, the retrieval of her memories was just something else to add to her mental strain.

She sighed, leaning back against her chair as her wrist came to rest across her brow, exasperated. The memory had come to her in the form of a dream. But of course she knew it was real, it had been much too clear to simply be a figment of her imagination.

Her memory had revealed to her the first glimpse of her family- he younger brother Souta.

He was about five years younger than her if she remembered correctly. It had seemed so in her vision anyway. They were both playing in the fields. That day was their parents' anniversary so they had planned on making something with the flowers together. Souta was a bright boy, someone who was so happy to have her as a sister. It made her smile.

There had been lots of laughter from what she could recall; however, her dreams had remained mute, only allowing her to read her brother's lips. She had only been able to read a few phrases like "Over here sister!" and "We should use this one!" but the rest of it was jumbled and not once did he ever say her name.

Her name.

Kagome frowned to herself. After that dream she had started feeling strange about her own name. She knew that was _definitely_ what she was called before, but there was an ominous feeling about it. Why was her mind bothered by it so much?

"Kagome!" a familiar voice sliced through her silence, accompanied by the opening of the large wooden door of the library. "You're still here?" Sango questioned as she made her way to the large table covered in spell books and the small diary.

Kagome reluctantly uncovered her eyes and smiled at her friend. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Well, no," Sango started eyeing all the books warily and returning to her friend, "It's just you've been here all day for the past three days." With her observation she crossed her arms over her chest and put on a serious face, "I think you need a break."

The blue-eyed girl sighed, "There's no time for a break," Kagome replied bluntly.

"Of course there is," the older girl replied sternly. "Have you even _seen_ the outside yet?"

A confused look crossed Kagome's face, wondering what she meant, "No. Why?"

Sango only rolled her eyes, how could Kagome stand locking herself up in the library to study for so long? The magenta-orbed girl didn't say anything more and instead grasped Kagome's arm and dragged her out of the library, ignoring her loud protests to let her go.

She needed to see the results of a miracle.

:-:-:

Shippou's bright emerald eyes widened at the sight before him. He had seen it before, but he never thought that he would ever have the chance to see it again. Not after moving here anyway.

The blue skies harbored white, fluffy clouds instead of angry, gray ones that rained frozen tears upon them. The sun radiated a joyous light that the people of Kouriya thought they would never witness in their life. Splotches of wet brown could already be seen beneath the melting snow. And it was a lot warmer than he could handle at the moment.

It was great.

"Oi!" The small fox jumped from surprise, looking up at the tall, white-haired hanyou standing next to him. "What are you doing out here?" Inuyasha demanded, a small scowl marring his face.

"Just looking," the kitsune answered shortly. "Why? Got a problem with that?"

Inuyasha chose to ignore his small "cousin" as he gazed out into the distance. He needed to concentrate.

Shippou noticed the narrowing of golden eyes, pinned at a certain spot on the horizon. Concentration was written all over the hanyou's face. Following his gaze he also began scrutinizing that one spot. But there was nothing. Looking towards his cousin again, he lowered his voice so he would not disrupt him anymore than he had to. Sure he loved to annoy the hanyou prince, but he knew him well enough when it was time to take him seriously, "Is something wrong?" she asked quietly.

Inuyasha only nodded as a light breeze blew past them. Sniffing the air, the hanyou's eyes grew wide from realization.

Golden eyes stared at the horizon as his mind boggled. He didn't know what to think. He hadn't expected this to happen. This was definitely a turn of events he didn't know what to think of. But it shouldn't really matter to him whether or not that person was returning.

They had lived in coexistence before, why should it change now that they hadn't seen each other for years?

Downy ears twitched as they picked up the sound of fast foot steps. Another sniff of the air revealed that Sango and Kagome were closing in behind him from the stairwell.

"Sango!" he called, getting the girl's attention just as she stepped out into the open, Kagome in tow.

The girl didn't hesitate to answer; she knew that tone, "Yes?"

"Tell my mother that we have a guest on the way," he ordered, piquing both Sango and Kagome's interest.

"Who?" Sango asked, curious.

"Sesshoumaru."

:-:-:

AN: Now that I look at it, I think I packed too much information into this chapter to be considered a chapter written at a reasonable pace. Tell me what you guys think! Tips please? At this point, now that it's actually posted, there isn't much I can do but to improve the pacing of my future chapters. Editing this one and delaying the information wouldn't mean much since you guys would already know what happened.

So I know that this chapter is waaay overdue _and _shorter than normal. And I'm really sorry for that. But I've been getting ready for my AP exams (it's this week!) and that's been taking a lot of time with after-school activities and other obligations I need to keep to. And I'm sorry to say that this may be the last chapter I post in a long while since May is full of tests, performances, packing, moving, and unpacking. There's not really any time for writing (except for now which should be study time). And June and July are kind of out of the question since I'll be in Japan at the time (read my profile for details).

So I guess this explains why I packed a lot of information in this chapter. :D

Review please!


	12. Revelation

_**Eternal Snow**_

_**Chapter 12**_

_**Revelation**_

_**:-:-:**_

Sango stared, surprised at Inuyasha. She didn't know what to think. The eldest son of the kingdom was returning after he had abandoned them all to rot away in the cold nothingness of the Eternal Snow.

The traitor.

Was he expecting to receive the crown of king now that the kingdom attained the possibility of prosperity? She most certainly hoped not. He definitely didn't deserve such a title after he had given up all hope on them. Magenta eyes pinned the hanyou prince seriously, "Are you sure?"

Inuyasha didn't even blink, "Positive."

"And what do you suggest we do?" she asked calmly.

"Get my mother and all of the castle servants into the throne room." He instructed, never taking his golden eyes off the spot on the horizon. "He's gonna want to talk to her."

Sango nodded, acknowledging her orders, and ushered Shippou to help her with her task as she grabbed Kagome's hand and dragged her back into the castle since she wasn't willing to do so herself, being too distracted by the scenery. Kagome gave a little grunt of protest but quickly silenced herself when Sango made no indication of leaving her to admire the beauty surrounding the castle.

"What's happening?" the blue-eyed girl questioned, not having been paying attention to the conversation.

"Sesshoumaru is returning."

"And who is that?"

Sango dragged Kagome up another flight of stairs before answering, "Inuyasha's older brother."

Kagome was suddenly surprised. "Brother?" her eyes widened, "I didn't know he had a brother."

"He left a few years ago," Sango informed, her voice creeping into something vaguely sounding like anger. "He grew tired of the snow and got really annoyed by Kouriya's lack of power so he traveled to his mother's kingdom."

"Mother's kingdom? You mean Queen Izayoi's home?"

Sango shook her head in response, still padding towards the topmost floor to inform the queen, "No. Unlike Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru is a full demon."

It didn't take long for Kagome to put two and two together to figure out the rest.

"I see," she muttered as Sango let her hand go and dashed up the rest of the steps to the top floor. "What should I do?" Kagome called after her.

"Go find Miroku and tell him to gather all of the other servants in the throne room," she instructed, turning the corner and cutting off any further instruction, leaving Kagome to do her bidding.

:-:-:

"Is that everyone?" the black haired boy doubled over, panting from running around, gathering anyone and everyone he could find.

"I think so," Kagome answered as she ushered even more people in, lining them up to stand along the edges of the expansive room. "Did you get Lady Sumiko?"

"Yeah," Miroku straightened himself, sighing, "She should be down in a minute."

And just as he mentioned it, the prim and proper princess with her otherwise flawless appearance (if not for her constant worrying over her means of returning home) rounded the corner and approached the large doors. Her eyes fleetingly met with Kagome, silently asking her if everything was alright. The blue eyes that she found smiled at her, gently reassuring her as she stepped into the large room and took her place.

The two were just ushering the queen and Sango in when they felt a small tremor shake the castle from the outside. No matter how they turned the possibilities in their heads, it could not have been a good sign.

The two servants that had stationed themselves in front of the doors oversaw the last few of their fellow workers enter before they lugged their respective doors behind them, shutting everyone inside. It seemed pointless that the doors be shut when they all knew that two more people were coming, but Queen Izayoi had ordered it as precaution in case her son lost is his control inside the castle.

Kagome and Miroku took their places beside Sango, stationing themselves close to the queen in case she was in need of anything.

Another soft tremor shook the castle, interrupting the momentary peace among the castle's inhabitants. Kagome looked around, feeling caged in, as if there was mortal danger lurking just outside the walls of the throne. There might as well have been.

Shippou hopped up and perched himself on his former caretaker's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking note of her worried look.

Kagome nodded and plastered a smile on her face, "Yes, I'm fi-"

A sound akin to an explosion sliced through the air, drawing the attention of everyone in the room to the two men standing at its entrance. The double doors swung open with such ferocity that they bounced back as they hit the stone walls. Various servants winced as the sudden explosion of sound disturbed the silence they were relishing in for possibly the last time for a long while.

The blue-eyed girl observed Sumiko's stiff posture as her face visibly displayed frustrated anxiety; probably mulling over the fact that she wasn't supposed to be in Koriya anymore. The queen looked just as anxious as she sat herself in her place. If she had not taken that long, deep breath before she lowered herself she would have completed the disguise of absolute calm. Miroku and Sango just looked peeved. Shippou took sanctuary in his perch's hair.

Now Kagome felt out of place. Everyone in this room was having some kind of negative reaction towards the older brother's arrival except for her. The only reaction she had was curiosity as to see how this Sesshoumaru looked like.

Craning her neck to look around Miroku, she spotted Inuyasha, his face contorted into a relatively quiet rage.

Kagome looked surprised. That was a first. Maybe he had already done all of his shouting and raging when his brother arrived. She rolled her eyes at the image of Inuyasha on a tantrum, that would explain the tremors.

As the two men trudged down the carpet leading to the throne where the queen sat, she finally spotted the infamous Sesshoumaru.

The very sight of him caused her to freeze in her spot. The piercing gold eyes and long, flowing, silver hair was obviously in relation to Inuyasha's colorings, but there was something familiar about this one. It was not that it reminded her of Inuyasha, but of something else.

There was an awe of silence as the two youkai of nobility strode down the middle of the room to approach the now calm queen. Kagome spotted some of the female youkai servants pushing through the crowd to see their missed eye candy again. She quietly squelched the urge to roll her eyes. This was no time for fangirling, this was serious.

"Sesshoumaru," the queen acknowledged softly. Her eyes were surprisingly soft as she gazed upon the older youkai before her, as if she were looking at her own son. Her real son took her spot beside her seat, ready to jump in if Sesshoumaru tried to pull anything.

"Izayoi…" The older youkai reflected her. Those golden eyes were hard and steady, showing that he did not see her as a mother, but respected her, nonetheless, as the rightful queen of Koriya.

"He can't be so bad…" Kagome murmured under he breath.

Shippou, apparently, was the only one who heard as he poked his head out of her dark locks. "Everyone here is just biased because he left."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the kit's bitterless tone, "And you're not?"

"I didn't think he was doing any good anyway," Shippou declared nonchalantly, but quiet enough so that he would not receive angry glares from the surrounding servants.

"I believe you have returned for a reason," Izayoi spoke with the voice of a ruler but with a touch of motherly warmth.

"There was a rumor that my old home's cursed blizzard had finally stopped," Sesshoumaru's eyes never left the queen. "I came in order to confirm it."

"And as you can see your sources were correct."

"Indeed," The elegant, white-haired prince replied in his monotonous, yet melodic voice. "Which is why I have also come here with a proposition."

Surprise covered Izayoi's face as the subject matter suddenly took a turn. "Proposition?"

"Yes," he answered. "As you know, years ago I left for my mother's kingdom because she called me. When I arrived I did not expect to receive the crown so easily, but it was done, and it was impossible to leave as easily as I had come."

A murmur flooded the crowd of servants in the room. They had, apparently, not known the reason for their prince's sudden departure.

"And now that Kouriya is no longer bordered off by the snow, many countries will take the chance to expand their territory by taking this land."

Izayoi looked uncomfortable, "I have acknowledged that possibility."

"In order to do this many countries will not hesitate to initiate a violent overthrow."

The queen nodded grimly.

"That is why I have come to you to initiate a treaty."

The whole room went silent, more so than before. Kagome vaguely noted that she could not hear a single breath in the room. They were all too shocked and surprised to breathe.

"There is already a treaty between your country and this one. That was finalized when your father and mother were married," Izayoi declared.

"It seems that it was dropped by the former king when the country showed no promise."

Izayoi's eyes lingered to the ground with a hard stare. She did not know where her sudden reluctance came from but she quickly shoved the emotion to the back of her mind and placed a warm smile upon her lips. There did not seem to be any bad side to this agreement. "What are your terms?" She questioned. This treaty could not hold benefit for Kouriya only.

"We will be sending ready residents to settle here as well as cultivate the land to its full potential. As for governing and your own security, you are free to rule as you wish."

The queen's eyes widened. "I'm surprised. Is that all?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru nodded, "It seems that my mother wishes to make this place a protectorate to the Kouryo kingdom. However, she has sent me here to see if the land shows any worth promise, so I will be required to stay until it is deemed so."

Izayoi nodded, the motherly smile lighting up her face, "Very well then, we will have your room prepared for you."

The older youkai bowed slightly in response and turned in his spot to take his leave. The crowd lined up against the castle stone walls hushed as they noticed stern, golden eyes scanning the lining of people.

Kagome heard many of the servant girls around her swoon and sigh as his and their own eyes met. She felt like gagging at their childish reactions. And she was just about act upon her reaction when her own blue eyes clashed with that particular shade of gold.

He had stopped scanning, everyone had noticed. It took Kagome a while to register the faint surprise that barely tinted his features as he slowly approached her. Shippou, also noticing Sesshoumaru's advancement, retreated from his perch on his nanny's shoulder and scrambled behind Miroku's leg.

The girl, not knowing what to do, simply kept looking forward, pretending she didn't notice the elder prince's movement. Until her vision was blocked by said prince. Her conscience kept telling her to ignore him and not look directly at his face, but curiosity and fear got the better of her as she slowly tilted her head up to look directly at Sesshoumaru's passive face.

It was silent for a beat as confusion plagued the servants of the castle.

"I see you made it through the snow."

Kagome's blue eyes widened significantly at his statement. She opened her mouth to say something but found she had nothing to say. When she started feeling silly for imitating the motions of a fish she managed to squeak, "I'm sorry?"

The passiveness on Sesshoumaru's face did not falter as he continued to stare down the new servant girl. Kagome could no longer break the exchange and just when she felt she was about to crack the prince moved on towards the door, leaving her in her confusion.

A gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder and Kagome turned around to meet the worried, magenta eyes of her best friend. Sango, as well as Miroku, was just as confused as she was.

The small kitsune perched himself on Kagome's other shoulder. "Have you met Sesshoumaru before?" he asked quizzically with wide, curious eyes.

"I don't know," Kagome replied calmly as her hand went her forehead in thought. "I might have before, but I don't remember it."

Another dull roar of gossip flooded the crowd servants, having not missed the brief exchange between the noble youkai and the lowly servant. If Kagome had taken the time to observe the crowd more carefully she would have noticed her younger prince's curious eyes on her too.

As Sesshoumaru approached the large wooden doors of the hall the queen quickly ordered, "Sango, please show Sesshoumaru to his room." Queen Izayoi smiled nervously, knowing that her hand servant would not be happy with the request.

Sango expectedly let out a small sigh as she stepped forward to escort the noble youkai away. They left without a word and the hall erupted into deafening chatter.

:-:-:

"Sango," the elder youkai noble snapped the servant girl out of her annoyed silence as he led the way to the top floor. It had been years since he last stepped foot into the castle but everything was just the same.

Exactly what he wanted to get away from… until now.

"Yes," Sango shuddered before continuing, "my lord?" He did not deserve that title anymore.

"What can you tell me about the girl?"

Sango couldn't really say she was surprised, she had been hoping to ask him about their previous moment. "Kagome?"

"Is that her name?" Sesshoumaru's passive face did not flinch.

"She came to the castle roughly a month ago. Trudged out into the snow and fainted not too far from the castle." Sango explained, gauging the youkai's reaction. There was none. "When she woke up we found that she forgot everything."

The white haired man reached the door of his room and halted. "I see," he muttered, and gracefully slipped into his room, leaving Sango alone in the hall.

:-:-:

If there was one thing Kagome could say about the ill-rumored Sesshoumaru it was that he was very skilled in the act of aversion. As in every time she attempted to find him, he always slipped right through her fingers, promptly avoiding the questions that had been milling around the castle about his encounter with her.

Questions she hoped he could answer.

Kagome padded along the hallway, tracing the youkai's rumored path through the castle. For the past few weeks she had been hoping to demand some answers from him, clinging to the wish that he might hold some information about her past. The problem with her glimpses of memory were starting to annoy her to no end. Perhaps the mysterious prince would be able to remedy that.

A smile touched her lips. She would no longer have to wonder what her former life was like. Sango and Miroku constantly asked her if she was okay with her lack of identity, but Kagome always reassured them that she was fine.

However, that didn't mean that she wasn't curious.

She ducked into the stairwell and ran into the closest room. "Has Sesshoumaru been here?" The servants inside didn't even look up, only shaking their heads to the question they had heard out of the girl for over a week.

Kagome quickly muttered her thanks and walked out, ceasing her rush to catch her breath. Running around the entire castle searching for a youkai capable of running at high speeds was tough.

A tick of annoyance bit at her, she thought after the couple of weeks that Sesshoumaru had resided in the castle she would eventually run into him. She honestly didn't think he would go out of his way to avoid her. Asking Inuyasha hadn't been much help either since he only scoffed at the mere mention of his brother, much to Kagome's agitation.

She had been hoping to avoid this, but it was her last resort.

With that thought in mind Kagome ran towards the one place she knew she could find it in her to do anything.

:-:-:

"A teleportation spell?" Kaede asked as she sat up in her bed, nonplussed by Kagome's inquiry. Word about Kagome's search was widespread through the castle; the only person who didn't seem affected by her questions was Sesshoumaru.

The blue-eyed girl nodded silently, now she felt disgustingly desperate.

Kaede sighed, "I guess now that the storm has stopped there hasn't been much pressure to learn the spell, has there?"

"I'm still studying, but since Sumiko can head home without my help I thought I should concentrate more on your medicine." Kagome shoveled out an excuse. She _was_ studying her miko spells, just skipping over the more complicated ones.

The old miko managed a small smile before looking around the room, more specifically at the shelves of jars lining her room. "It looks like I'm missing flash weed." She muttered and closed her eyes in thought. Turning her eyes on her pupil she instructed, "There are pink weeds growing around the edge of the castle. If you want to make a teleportation potion, you'll need that."

A bright smile erupted on the girl's face as she hugged her teacher and rushed out of the room to do what she was told.

:-:-:

The splitting sounds of wood against wood pierced through the air of Kouriya. It had been so long since Inuyasha had to clamp his ears down against the loud racket of dueling. His golden eyes narrowed at Miroku as he watched him across his sword. The man looked just as concentrated as they circled each other off.

The warm sun beat down on them, their only audience and obstacle. The intense change in temperature was astounding. The freezing temperatures that they were used to now had to stand up against the blazing summer heat. It was almost unbearable.

And that was precisely why the boys were forced to duel in skins.

Which was also why Kagome let out a squeal of embarrassment and turned away upon finding them.

Inuyasha watched as Miroku set down his bokken, making a show of letting his guard down to signal for a break. A silly smile broke out on Miroku's features in reaction to Kagome's innocent embarrassment. The hanyou turned around too, bearing witness to the girl's silliness.

He couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled out of him.

Kagome turned on them, holding one hand over her eyes and peaking through the cracks. The blush that stained her cheeks was absolutely adorable.

"What's this Kagome? Have you never seen a man shirtless before?" Miroku teased, earning a good whack on the head from Inuyasha.

Stubbornly, Kagome ripped her hand away from her vision and glared at the dark haired boy, placing her hands on her hips. "I believe the key word is 'man.' I've seen boys without shirts, I have yet to see a man as such," she threw back at him.

Blue eyes flickered to meet with golden ones and tempted her to take those words back. What she had seen that one night after she read the mysterious diary definitely did not support her claim.

"Aw, I'm hurt Kagome," Miroku feigned a wounded look but then quickly recovered. "So what are you out here for?" he questioned, noticing Kagome's searching gaze.

"Kaede's out of flash weed and I need to find Sesshoumaru," she replied, earning an exaggerated 'keh' from Inuyasha.

"Why are you trying so hard to find him? Whatever it is, he's not worth _anyone's_ time." The hanyou spat.

Kagome narrowed her gaze at him, "He knows something about my arrival here, I just know it," she reasoned as she knelt down close to the castle wall, eyeing the various cracks in the dirt for pink weed.

"Flash weed, huh?" Miroku, looked around in wonder, "I think I saw some over here." The boy ran off, intent on finding the medicinal plant that he didn't wait for Inuyasha or Kagome to follow him.

The other two stayed behind, a warm breeze encircling them in the gift of daylight. A smile etched itself on Inuyasha's face. Kagome took notice and mirrored him, then remembered something important.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "before I forget…" she produced a small envelope from her pocket and handed it to the hanyou, "Sumiko wanted me to give you this." Despite the switch in positions between her and Miroku, Sumiko still found it necessary to hand her letters directly to Kagome.

Inuyasha's golden eyes relinquished their piece as they directed its attention to the envelope Kagome was holding out to him. He almost sneered, Kagome noticed.

"She's not that bad you know," she reasoned, finding it necessary that Inuyasha developed at least a tolerance for this girl. Even though something in her head was bothering her not to support the couple for reasons she couldn't quite identify.

When Inuyasha reluctantly took the letter from her hands, a freezing shiver ran down Kagome's spine. Her eyes jolted with awareness as she whipped her head around. Someone was watching her.

She stared across the blooming field, her eyes wide from surprise.

There a couple of feet from her stood a lady, her face cast in shadows, but even though it wasn't visible Kagome could tell that her dark-eyed glare was something she couldn't even fathom.

Dark hair rolled along the wind as her painted lips turned into a frown. Her presence was enough to evoke fear in the pit of Kagome's fiery soul. A pale hand reached out to her as her mouth moved voicelessly. Her own eyes grew heavy as if a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over her. Her knees started to cave in as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. One single name came into Kagome's head and rolled off her tongue.

"Kikyou?" she whispered. When she blinked the woman disappeared, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist as she passed out.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

I felt like writing today, so I finished up this chapter at last! So sorry for the delay, but my writing mood has been hitting me full blast for a while and now was the only time that I could find time to write.

Now that that one's over, I'm starting to get the feeling that the next time I write for any fanfic will be around the time for graduation… sorry!

Anyway…

Hope you guys enjoyed it!


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